


Take Flight ↬ L. Fitz [1]

by ilove4u



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Elements from Assassin's Creed, F/M, Fanfiction, Glacial Slow Burn, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, My First Fanfic, Slow Burn, mature rating just in case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 46,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilove4u/pseuds/ilove4u
Summary: Aurora Auditore has been programed by pain, death, and abandonment, from growing up in a family of assassins to being "saved" by S.H.I.E.L.D.  Now back-from-the-dead Agent Coulson wants her in his team of handpicked misfits. Will this team save her from herself or drive her further into the darkness?*Full-Time Student: updating slowly*
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> The Earth is littered 
> 
> with the ruins of empires 
> 
> that believed they were 
> 
> eternal"
> 
> -Camille Paglia

The mat on the gymnasium floor was darkened with sweat from where her feet made contact. The fabric of her clothes clung tight to her body, and the blonde hair that had fallen out of her French braid stuck to her neck because of the substance. The muscles in her back and arms burned, and her chest heaved, but her motions didn't stop as she made contact with the punching bag again and again. Over the sound of her closed fists hitting the leather, she could vaguely hear the sound of some old nineties pop song playing throughout the room. Barton had left it on for the sole purpose of getting under Romanoff's skin. Aurora assumed that it had worked, given the huffing sound the spy had made before walking purposefully out of the room, barely sparing her a glance. She hoped Barton had chosen a good hiding spot. The last time he had purposely tried to annoy the spy, he had spent the rest of the day rubbing the lobe of his ear complaining about how ' _that_ had been unnecessary.' The memory pulled a smile to her lips.

Her face dropped back to a neutral expression, however, when the sound of footsteps filled the room. Her eyes quickly darted to the wall-length mirror, and she made contact with the bag again. She swore to herself. The man who had entered the room was wearing a suit and tie. A man in a suit, in Aurora's experience, was never a good sign, and it always spelled bureaucracy. And red tape. Irritation filled her body, and she hit the bag a little harder. Neither of them spoke for a moment, and the song faded to silence.

"Hello Agent Auditore, I'm Agent Coulson." She blinked at him through the mirror in front of her, but her hits didn't slow. Coulson was supposed to be dead; she had read the report, all level 5's had. He had been killed in the Battle of New York, hailed as a hero. But she had also heard Barton rambling in drunken jealousy about Coulson's magical trip to Tahiti, and if dying was what got someone a vacation from S.H.I.E.L.D., then he would have speared himself with alien weaponry years ago. She had caught sight of the deadly look on Romanoff's face and figured it was in her, and Barton's, best interest to keep her mouth shut about this particular piece of information. Not that she had anyone to tell.

"I'll admit, I was hoping for a bigger reaction." His voice sounded friendly enough, and the humor in his voice was probably meant to make him seem less threatening. She hit the bag again. "Although, Romanoff didn't really react either, so I should've expected something similar from 'The Angel.'"

"Don't call me that," Aurora's voice was soft but sharp, and her words must have amused the agent because he smiled brightly.

"I'm pulling together a team. I, and the higher-ups, think you would be a beneficial member." She stopped mid-punch and let out a breath. Resting her open palms against the bag to slow its swaying, she pulled her eyes from the mirror and turned her body to face him. Her eyebrows raised in question.

"We need someone like you," he said. "Someone to make the hard choices."

"You need someone to pull the trigger." Agent Coulson winced slightly at the matter of fact tone that laced her voice.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"No."

"Agent Auditore, I'm afraid you don't have a choice." She took a step forward in his direction and was pleasantly surprised when he didn't flinch. 

"I don't do teams."

"Yes, your history has made that clear. However, this decision comes from the Director himself. He believes that it would be in everybody's best interest for you to join." Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides as she let out a breath. So, the Director wanted to give her a new babysitter? _Fantastic_. Running her tongue on the back of her teeth, she nodded.

"Awesome. I'll send the directions to your phone. Wheels up in three days." With that, Agent Coulson gave her a friendly smile, turned, and walked out of the room. Her eyes followed him, and it was only when she could no longer hear his footsteps against the cold linoleum floor of the hallway, that she pivoted on her heel and hit the leather bag with all her strength. Her fist ached as the thud reverberated through the empty room.

⊗⊗⊗

Saying goodbye to Barton and Romanoff was as easy as Aurora expected it to be. With a duffle bag full of what few possessions she owned hung over her shoulder and her hair pulled into a tight French braid, she exchanged a firm nod with Romanoff and an almost friendly handshake with Barton before sliding into the back of the black S.U.V. sent by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Almost an hour later, Aurora arrived at the hangar, and her eyes widened at the sight of what must have been "the bus." It was impressive, and, stepping out of the S.U.V. with her bag still slung over her shoulder, she saw small groups of people in uniforms mulling around or carrying items onto the plane. The one person that caught her eye, however, was Agent Coulson. He was still wearing the suit. Huffing a breath, she met him at the base of the bus.

"Agent Auditore, good to see you," he said holding a hand out, she eyed it for a second before shaking it.

"Agent Coulson."

"C'mon, everybody's already on board. I'm assuming you already read the team's files."

"I have." _The parts that weren't redacted anyway._

"Good, that'll make introductions easier," he said, shooting her a smile as she passed him going into the plane. "First introduction, and the most important. This," he gestured to a beautiful red Chevrolet Corvette parked on the ramp, "is Lola. Next, and right over here, is Fitz-Simmons' lab." Through the clear door, Aurora could see a woman, who she assumed was Simmons, wearing a pink button-up and a pair of blue jeans. The man in the lab with her, who must have been Fitz, was wearing a zippered sweatshirt over a button-up with a tie. They looked innocent to her, uncorrupted. Almost like kids. The door slid open, and she didn't understand a word of what they were saying. The sound of Agent Coulson clearing his throat caught their attention, and they turned their heads in sync.

"Agent Simmons, Agent Fitz, meet Agent Auditore." As Agent Coulson said their names, they waved, keeping their hands close to their chest.

"Agent Auditore! It is a pleasure to meet you!" Simmons said. Aurora could only describe her voice as "chipper," her light tone enhanced by the sound of her British accent. Her smile was wide too, and it made her whole face light up. She was cute, with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail. 

Agent Coulson cleared his throat again. "They need to re-encode your comm receiver, so if you could," he gestured from her to Agent Fitz. She nodded, moving the duffle to rest on the floor at her feet, and pulled the piece of tech out of one of the front pockets. Straightening back up, she handed it to Fitz. Getting a closer look at him, she realized that he was just as cute as Simmons, with kind blue eyes and curly, light brown hair. Aurora wondered if he had a British accent too. Taking the tech from her, he immediately turned around and took a hammer to it. Her eyebrows shot up, and she couldn't mask the surprised expression that appeared on her face.

"He'll repurpose the I.D.I.S. chip," the other female agent commented, "and instead of the external receiver, we'll apply embedded sensorineural silicone matched to your D.N.A." As soon as she finished her sentence, Simmons was walking towards her with a swab. Instinctually Aurora snatched Simmons' wrist out of the air before she could force the swab into her mouth. The air around them was immediately tense. She made sure her grip was tight enough to prevent Simmons from moving her arm further in her direction but not enough to actually hurt. Simmons' shocked face glanced up at her, and they locked eyes. In her peripheral, she saw Fitz look back and forth between them and Agent Coulson as if he expected Agent Coulson to step in. 

"I can swab my own mouth," Aurora said, her voice sharp.

"Right, of course." Simmons tried to force a polite smile, and Aurora let go of her wrist. There was a beat, and Simmons offered her the swab, taking a step back out of her personal space. Aurora could feel Agent Coulson's eyes drilling a hole into her as she ran the swab against her cheek and passed it back to Simmons. She nodded, still smiling.

"Right," Agent Coulson clapped, "Agent May said she found information on one of the Rising Tide's routing points, so we should get this thing on the road. Or in the air," he said, chuckling at his own joke. He turned to the two scientists.

"Make sure you put away anything breakable and strap in. Agent Auditore, if you'd come with me, I'll show you where to put your things." She nodded and turned fully towards Agent Coulson, who motioned for her to walk up the stairs. She didn't need to look to know that Fitz and Simmons were glancing at each other behind her back. They might have a dozen Ph.D.'s and who knows how many academic awards between them, but she would always win in the category of making bad first impressions. 

According to Agent Coulson, her bunk was situated between agents Fitz and Ward. Thankfully her introduction with Agent Ward went a lot smoother, as the plane was almost ready for lift-off and Agent May was not someone who should be kept waiting, and consisted of a polite acknowledgment on his part and a firm nod on hers. 

⊗⊗⊗

When the plane landed, Agent Coulson divided the team into groups. He and Ward would travel to the spot where May had pinpointed the location of the suspected Rising Tide's routing point, which according to security cameras, was a van parked in an alley behind a family-run cafe. Aurora and agents May, Fitz, and Simmons', on the other hand, were directed to head to the point of the explosion, which was why she was now standing in the ashes and piles of debris of what used to be the top floor. Looking around the room, Aurora clocked only two entry and exit points. One of which was the front door of which the agents had walked through; the other was a fire exit that led to the alleyway next to the building. The windows were too high for an average person to climb to or jump from, although she was confident that she or May could utilize them if they had too.

"This was a lab. Was this leased as a lab?" Simmons asked as she made a beeline for a burned-to-a-crisp body.

"Self-empowerment center. With a top-of-the-line motion-sensor security system." May said, shining her flashlight against the charred wall.

"Ah, so a secret lab." Aurora turned away from the others and smiled to herself at the sound of intrigue in the scientist's voice.

"And a superhero, not a coincidence," May said. "So, was this explosion sabotage? Was it meant for him? Or were they just in over their heads."

"Yeah, working the problem," Fitz answered, disgust shining through in his face and his Scottish, (not British) accent, at the sight of the body. Aurora also saw the tension in his posture and shoulders under his jacket as he tried to pass between them and the corpse. "Ladies, if you'll just--"

"If you're gonna be in the field Agent Fitz, you have to get your hands dirty," May said, as Fitz kneeled on the floor and opened up the case he was carrying. Aurora took a step closer to him as he pulled out a tablet. Her eyebrows scrunched together as a whirring sound filled the room.

"No, I don't." As the agent spoke, droids rose out of the case and began scanning the room. Aurora retreated back. "Heigh-ho off to work you go," he sang quietly, and she followed the droids with her eyes.

"See, we designed each with their own capabilities. So, some are recording the dimensions and textures of the room, and then some are testing the matter density, radiation. I mean, one is basically just smelling," Simmons explained.

"Are they storing the information? Or is it just sending immediate feedback?" Aurora asked, looking down at the tech in Simmons' hands. There was a beat where the only sound was the droids, and she looked up to see all three agents looking at her, shock clear in the two scientists' expressions. May was conscientious enough to mask her surprise at the assassin's question. Embarrassment filled Aurora's body, as she shifted her weight to the other hip. _She should have kept her mouth shut._

"It's saving the information too," Fitz finally answered, his eyes locked on hers. "There's a memory chip in each one's belly. It's not as powerful as I'd like it to be, but it needed to be light enough where they could fly." He turned back to the beeping tablet in his hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I've got something in something."

"Who's got it?" Simmons asked.

"Uh, Bashful," Fitz said, turning and pointing in the direction of one of the droids. _Bashful, like the dwarf?_ Aurora's eyebrows furrowed. She didn't say anything about it, however. Agent May walked to the droid, picking up something in a pile of debris.

"Surveillance camera, deep-fried," she said, turning back to the rest of the room.

"Yes, but that model has flash memory in case of brownouts," Fitz said, tripping slightly. "Now, I could sync that with data from the motion detectors, and, with a little luck, get some images from before the blast. And by 'luck' I mean 'unappreciated genius.'"

"Yeah, we'll need it. Snow's reading some compounds that are-- Whoa, my God." Simmons cut herself off and kneeled in front of another pile.

"Explosive?" asked Agent May, her voice concerned.

"Not of this earth." 

May nodded in response to Simmons, taking a look around the room. "We should head back to the bus, let Coulson know what we found. Fitz, Simmons, collect what you can and pack it up." The two scientists nodded, and Simmons moved the piece of Alien tech into an evidence bag.

It didn't take long for the group of four to pack everything into the official S.H.I.E.L.D.'s S.U.V. Well, more accurately, Fitz and Simmons packed everything into the S.U.V. She and May took a step back after Fitz's third time telling them to 'be _careful_ ; it's _delicate_ equipment.' Right when Simmons was putting the last piece of gear away, Aurora felt her phone buzz in her front pocket. Pulling it out, she saw a news update flash on the screen. This time rather than saving someone, the supposed 'hero' had put someone in a hospital. She showed the screen to May, who quickly ushered them into the car. 

⊗⊗⊗

When they arrived back at the bus, Agent Coulson was waiting for them at the top of the ramp. As soon as they stepped out of the car, he spoke.

"We know the super's name, meet us in the debriefing area in five."

The debriefing area was a small room off of the furnished living room. It was enclosed with a wall of glass windows, which were inscribed with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. There was one screen attached to the wall of the plane and another on a table in front of it. Standing between the wall and the table was a cute girl who Aurora assumed was the Rising Tide member. She had beautiful brown hair and was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a purple shirt, and what looked to be a vest.

"Everybody, this is Skye," Agent Coulson started. "Skye, this is Agent May, Agent Auditore--" Aurora watched the girl's eyebrows scrunch together, and her lips purse as Agent Coulson said her name. The two girls made eye contact, and Skye almost immediately looked down. _The Rising Tide knew about them, interesting_. Aurora waited, curious whether or not Skye would say anything as Agent Coulson continued on with introductions. "-- Agents Fitz and Simmons." Both scientists waved as Coulson said their names, once again keeping their hands close to their chest, while May responded with a firm nod. With that, the agent looked around the room, locking eyes with everyone before placing the driver's license down onto the table.

"Michael Peterson: Factory worker, married, one kid. Gets injured, gets laid off. Wife jumps ship. Good guy, bad breaks," Coulson said, circling the table. "Best guess is, somebody tells him they can make him super."

"Who has the tech to do that?" May asked, leaning against the table. "And why would they want to?"

"Fitz, what do we have from the security footage before the blast?" Coulson said, finishing his circle as Fitz pulled up the footage.

"What are we seeing?" May said.

"Well, the man is angry at the other man." Aurora felt amusement rise inside her but, the deadpan expressions on the rest of the agents' faces made it clear that no one else did. 

"The data is very corrupt," Simmons said.

"Yeah, like cold war Russia, corrupt," Fitz added on. "I can't sync the timecode without--"

"What if you had the audio?" Skye said, taking a step closer to the group. "I was running surveillance on the lab. I had my shotgun mic pointed at the window before the blast. The digital file's in my van. There's too much background noise for me, but you could probably--" The words weren't even all the way out of Skye's mouth before Fitz and Simmons started back and forth. Their words were too quick and technical for Aurora to understand, although she tried. Then finally:

"Um, that audio would be great. Thank you very, very much."

"We will take that audio, please."

"Your van's here, but you were right, we couldn't decrypt the files," Coulson said, pointedly looking at Skye.

"The encryption's coupled to the G.P.S.," Skye said, "Get my van back to that alley, and then I'm in business."

"Agent May will escort you," Coulson said, "and on your way out, wake up Ward."

⊗⊗⊗

As soon as Skye and May left, the rest of the team headed down to the lab, where Fitz and Simmons got to work. Fitz started setting up the tech that would reconstruct what happened in the lab before the explosion, and Simmons started analyzing what was in the Alien matter. Coulson stood directly behind Simmons while Aurora lent against the door, her head moving between the two scientists. It was interesting to watch them work. Fitz was almost hyperactive, running back and forth between his different gadgets and the computer keyboard. Simmons, however, worked slowly and diligently. She walked slower, but with determination. Every move she made was purposeful. Their styles worked well together.

"Uh, yeah," Fitz said to Skye through his earpiece, once again running to the computer. Aurora followed his movements. "I'm getting it. So, uh, when, when, you get back, I'll show you my thing." Aurora raised her eyebrows at the innuendo. " _A_ thing. It's not-- It's my hardware. My equipment. Let's... hang up," he said, throwing the earpiece down. As he turned to face her, she pursed her lips in an attempt to keep a neutral expression. Some of her amusement must have shown through because he turned a brighter shade of red and mumbled a quiet 'shut up' under his breath. Without thinking, she moved her hands to a mock surrender before quickly moving them back down to her sides.

"So, the Alien metal wasn't the explosive?" She heard Coulson ask Simmons.

"Well, I assumed from the break pattern and dispersion that it was, but it's just dripping with Gamma radiation and-- Oh! Now it's actually dripping," she answered as goo started to ooze out of the matter. "Fun!"

"So, what did that get us?" Ward asked, almost storming into the room.

"Skye's sending us the rest of her decrypted files on Centipede," Fitz answered. Right, Coulson had filled everyone in on Centipede, an organization operating right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose. _There are quite a few of those,_ Aurora thought bitterly. "But we have her audio," he continued, "I've loaded it up."

"Nice work," Coulson said, and Ward didn't bother to hide his irritation. At what, Aurora didn't know, but from what she'd observed, it didn't take much to set the man off.

"Now, using motion estimation, Bayesian inference, a beam splitter, and a little diffraction theory, our mystery man appears." With a tap of his fingers on the tablet in his hand, the lab seemed to form in front of them. _Cool_. "It's like magic. But it's, it's science."

"Explosives in the case?" Ward asked as the pixelated people began to speak.

_"... please calm down. Just let me check your vitals."_

_"I feel fine. I want to feel_ **_more_ ** _. Where's the Doctor? Where is she?"_

_"If you don't settle down, I-I'll have you sedated."_

_"Where is she?"_ As the man spoke, he grabbed one of the pieces of medical equipment and slammed it onto the ground, at which point Fitz paused it.

"Wait. Did you see that on his arm?" Fitz said as he rewound the recording so that the man's arm was lifted into the air.

"What does that look like to you?" Coulson said.

Ward stepped closer to the pixelated man. "A centipede," he answered.

"It's an intravenous filter for his blood," Simmons said, joining the rest of the group. "This goo, sir-- very similar to the serum Dr. Erskine development in the '40s for the--"

"Super soldiers." Coulson finished.

"I'm reading Alien metal, Gamma radiation, the serum. Every known source of superpower thrown in a blender," she said.

"We need to see the origin of the blast," Coulson said, turning to Fitz. "Run it back from the last point recorded." With that, Fitz started tapping rapidly on his tablet. It was like watching a movie in fast forward. Both of the pixelated men moving around the small space rapidly until-- _did that man just explode?_

"Stop," Coulson said. "Go back." Slowly the explosion retreated, the fire and debris going back together until it formed back into a person. "Extremis," he continued. "It's new. Completely unstable."

"Poor man didn't bring an explosive, and Mike has the same stuff in his system," Simmons said.

"And judging by his strength level, a lot more," Ward said.

"So any minute now, Mike is gonna--" Fitz said.

"He'll take out anyone within a two-block radius," Simmons added.

"Well... You wanted a bomb," Coulson said, looking directly at Ward. Then he turned to face Aurora. "Do you have what you need?" She nodded. Outside of a potted plant, pointe shoes, and clothes, the only things she had brought with her was her S.H.I.E.L.D. approved collection of weapons. "Good. You'll take the shot." Then he walked further into the lab. Ward's head swiveled over to her than to Coulson, outrage clear on his face.

"But sir, with all due respect, I should be the one making the shot," he said, following Coulson into the lab. "I'm an excellent shot."

"You are," Coulson said, a friendly smile on his face. "But, she's better." Aurora took great pride in the way Ward's mouth opened and closed repeatedly. "Plus, it's clear that you're emotionally invested, Auditore isn't."

"Yeah," Ward shot back, "because she doesn't have emotions." Aurora felt the eyes of the two scientists drill into her back. But she kept her face expressionless. _She had been called worse by more important people._ Ward scrunched his eyes closed and let out a breath, raising his hand in a placating manner. "I just meant--"

"To prove my point," Coulson said. "Auditore will take the shot _if_ necessary." Ward turned to look at her, and she suppressed a smug expression. 

⊗⊗⊗

The morning light was streaming through the windows of the bus, as Aurora deconstructed her favorite sniper rifle. It was a Nemesis Arms Vanquish, one of the few things gifted to her from Barton during her time in S.H.I.E.L.D. The sniper was similar to the one she had trained with as a child, although she thought bitterly, this version did have more bells and whistles. Ward stood behind her, arms crossed, eyes watching every move she made. She knew this was killing him but was satisfied that he had kept his commentary on her performance to himself. Agent Coulson also stood with them, although he kept his eyes on his phone, waiting for an update from May or Skye. As she unscrewed the suppressor, Simmons and Fitz rushed into the room.

Focusing on her task, she drowned out their voices. Her father's words rang through her mind. _When you handle a gun; you handle the gun_. Nothing else matters, because distractions lead to mistakes, and mistakes with guns lead to unintended death. She removed the telescope sight and placed it on the table. She heard Coulson raise his voice. Now the handguard. Once each part of the gun was separated and checked over, she carefully placed them into the duffle bag.

The agent walked back into the room, apparently done with his conversation with the scientists. As he looked down at his phone once again, it rang.

"May."

 _"He took Skye."_ May's voice transmitted through the screen.

"You all right?" Coulson asked her, his eyes darting around the room before settling on the screen.

_"We'll deal with that later, at length. Right now, we need to figure out where they went."_

Minutes later, the screen started changing. The S.H.I.E.L.D. logo expanded, taking up the largest section as code streamed across the screen. The three agents looked at it in mild shock.

"What the hell?" Ward said, his mouth open slightly.

"It's longitude and latitude," Coulson said. He looked back at the other two agents. _Skye_.

Then, simultaneously, they were moving. She zipped up the bag, grabbed it, and she and Ward were walking purposely towards the bunks. When she arrived, she threw on her black leather jacket. She hesitated slightly, then turned to her bed. Moving the pillow, she took the small knife she had hidden there earlier and put it into one of her black combat boots. The stiffness of the knife made the boot uncomfortable, but it was better safe than sorry. Exiting her bunk, she ran into Ward, who was also donning his leather jacket. In sync, they headed to the S.U.V., as he unlocked the car, she placed the bag into the trunk. She could hear Fitz and Simmons talking, but she didn't spare them a look, jumping into the backseat. She thought Coulson might have said something to them in passing as he hit the button to lower the ramp, but it didn't matter as he too joined them in the car. As Ward began backing up, Agent Coulson turned to look at her.

"Send May the coordinates." Aurora nodded and pulled out her phone. 

⊗⊗⊗

Apparently said coordinates led to Union Station. Ward pulled the car next to the curb, and the agents jumped out. Aurora fell back slightly, collecting her bag from the back of the car. Keeping her distance, she watched Coulson and Ward approached Skye's van. The former was holding a S.H.I.E.L.D. megaphone. Aurora let out a huff in her head, of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have enough resources to know about an organization creating superhumans but had enough to make _specialized megaphones_. Silently she moved to stand against the building, shifting so the bag rested on her shoulder.

"Nobody's nobody, Ward," she heard Coulson say, and for a second, she thought he'd glanced towards her. But it must have been in her head, as without missing a beat, he continued.   
"Fitz-Simmons will come through." Then he raised the megaphone. "Mr. Peterson, good morning. We're not a threat. We're here to help. But you're in danger, and we need to take you in."

There was a beat where everyone waited in anticipation. Then the door flew open. Agent Coulson, Ward, and the cops lingering around the van ducked out of the way while the civilians began to flee. Aurora was suddenly thankful for where she chose to stand. She watched as Mike hoisted up his child and roughly took Skye by the arm, forcing her out of the van and into the station. 

The inside of the station was chaos as people ran in every direction. Besides the front door, the station had multiple side and back exits. She also clocked two sets of stairs: one that led to the tracks, one that led to the upper levels located on the main floor, but she was sure there was also a set of stairs by the elevator. Meanwhile, Coulson caught sight of Mike's son getting him to an officer for safety, and Ward headed for Mike himself, catching him in a surprise chokehold. Aurora kept away from the conflict. The man was angry and had enhanced strength. No way was she getting near that. Her decision was validated, when seconds later Mike had Ward on his back, _ouch_. She didn't need to hear him to know he was wheezing. Then Mike was practically flying across the station, once again taking hold of Skye. Aurora heard a shot as the man disappeared from view. She took a few steps forward, helping Ward from the ground as Coulson joined them.

"You told them to hold fire," Ward grunted, straightening out his jacket.

"I don't think that's us," Coulson said, then he spoke, Aurora assumed, to May in his ear. "We may have a third party here. He's gonna head down to the tracks. Auditore, you go high. We'll stay low."

Aurora gave Agent Coulson a firm nod, pivoting on her heels as she turned to the staircase.

"Remember--" Coulson called out in her direction.

"On the order," Aurora interrupted, not bothering to turn around.

It didn't take long to find a place to perch. The street was directly behind her, a wall next to her, a ledge in front of her for coverage, with a clear view of lower levels and the entrance into the underground. She finished setting up her sniper when Mike came crashing down from one of the upper floors. Through her scope, she could see the orange fire glowing under his skin. She could hear Coulson and Mike speaking, but she let the words flow over her. Letting out a slow, steady breath, she shifted her position and shifted her gun by a fraction, so Mike's head was in the center of the crosshair.

"I have a clear shot. Waiting for your order, sir." Aurora spoke, her voice cool and calm. She saw Coulson flinch slightly, and she knew he'd heard her. Keeping her breathing even, she listened to her superior's words, waiting.

"I don't. I know you got poison in your system. I know it's burning you up. Mike, the last guy who wore that exploded."

"I'm not like that other guy. I'm-- it matters who I am, inside if I'm a good person, if I'm strong."

"I know you're strong. Your boy knows it. He needs you to let us help."

"You took him! You took my wife, my job, my house. You think this is killing me?" Mike lifted his arm, gesturing to the centipede embedded in it. "All over, they're people being pushed down, being robbed. One of them tries to stand up. You got to make an example of them."

"You bring this building down on us, will that help them?"

"That's a lie," Mike yelled, pulling a part of the building up and gesturing with it wildly.

She tightened her grip on the gun; she could see his strings starting to unravel as orange once again surfaced in his face. She let out another breath, keeping her hands steady, and her gaze locked on him. She could hear Mike still speaking but stopped listening to his words. As she was finishing an exhale, she heard the sound of fast footsteps coming towards her, and then the sound of skidding. Keeping her body as still as possible, she pulled her head back so that she could see who had approached her. It was Fitz, panting and sweating. Without speaking, he thrusted a gun in her direction. A bulky silver sniper. She moved away from her Nemesis and took the gun from the sweating man.

"This the cure?" She asked Fitz, under her breath. She positioned it on the ledge and refocused Mike in her crosshairs. Coulson was closer to Mike now, and she had no choice but to aim for his head, _sorry about this Mike._

"In a manner of speaking, yes," he said, nodding rapidly. "Although it's a little more--"

"Complicated," she interrupted. "I'm sure." She could feel his eyes drilling into her side as she breathed out, centering herself.

"I have the cure." She took the shot. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The modified bullet made contact with the center of his forehead, and Mike was falling backward onto the floor. The rest of the team turned in shock in her and Fitz's direction. Then Simmons was rushing in to take Mike's vitals. The tension in everyone's body dissipated as she broke out in a wide smile. 

⊗⊗⊗

"So, what happens now?" Skye asked, looking around at all of the established agents. The group was once again gathered around the debriefing area on the bus. Agent Coulson was in front of them all, standing in front of a giant picture of Mike's face displayed on the screen.

"Well," Coulson said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors will take good care of Mike, make sure the chemicals inside him remain stable. Then he'll start training to adapt to his new abilities."

"And his son?" Skye said.

"He'll be sent to an approved S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house where he'll be taken care of," Ward said, and Coulson nodded in conformation.

"Tomorrow we'll go make sure he's settled in," Coulson added. Skye nodded and bit her lip, looking down at the floor, then up again. There was a moment of silence as the team looked at each other. Then Coulson gave them a firm nod, dismissing them. Without speaking, May turned and walked away, Ward, giving Skye a calculated look, also followed her lead.

"C'mon, we'll show you the lab!" Simmons said, gesturing at Skye, who shot Coulson a smile and followed after the babbling geniuses. Aurora watched as Coulson's eyes followed after the hacker, and she rolled her eyes internally. Looks like they were getting a new teammate. Biting back a comment about the intelligence of that decision, she walked off, leaving Coulson alone. 

⊗⊗⊗

_* T.W.: description of blood*_

_Marche, Italy. 2004._

Aurora had seen this room many times in her life. She knew that the cement walls were an odd grey color and a line of fluorescent lights hung on the ceiling. She knew that the bookshelves that lined the back wall were full of everything from Shakespeare to the kid's books her father used to read to her. She knew that there was nothing, _absolutely nothing_ , inherently threatening about this room, and yet the tiny ball of pressure resting on her ribcage refused to leave. It didn't help that the only light in the room was currently being created by the candles that circled around her kneeling form. Her breath was fast and shallow, and she could feel the sweat that had collected on her palms.

She couldn't do this. What was she thinking? She wasn't ready. _Oh god_. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready. Her breaths came out faster, and the ball in her chest got bigger and heavier. She heard someone shuffle around the room, and out of the darkness, a hand appeared, placing a bowl in front of her. Then a knife. It was a medium-sized knife made entirely of silver. There was an intricate design carved down the center of the blade, and in the candlelight, she could barely make out the golden details engraved in the handle. Even so, she knew they were there. She would have been able to describe that knife blindfolded. It had been her father's, and his father's, and his father's father.

_"It's time."_

She could hear her heartbeat drumming in her ears. She couldn't do this. She had to do this. She would do this. She let out a breath and straightened her back. If her father and siblings could do it, then so could she. She would be strong too. She would carry out her duty, just as her father had. She knew what came next. Aurora reached forward and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the knife. Another deep exhale. She ran the blade against the palm of her other hand, ignoring the pain as it sliced through her skin. Closing her fist, she allowed her blood to slowly drop into the bowl. She could do this. She felt the uncertainty flow out of her body, and in its place came peace and assurance. Clearing her throat, and keeping her closed fist above the bowl, she spoke, her words bouncing off the cement.

_"I give my word_

_I give my oath_

_To live in the darkness_

_To stay in the shadows_

_To protect the light_

_To do what must be done,_

_So they don't have to_

_From now 'till always, 'till never_

_I give my oath_

**_I give my life."_ **

Word Count: 6,319


	2. Chapter Two

Aurora's assessment was right, not that she was surprised. Agent Coulson had asked Skye to join the team, and it seemed she wasn't the only person who had concerns about this particular decision. Although, she was the only one attempting to keep these concerns to herself.

"Skye?" Ward questioned as he, May, and Aurora followed Coulson into the debriefing area. "She's not qualified to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

"Agreed. That's why I've invited her on as a consultant," Agent Coulson answered. "S.H.I.E.L.D. does it all the time. Technically, Stark's a consultant. So was Auditore." Ward glanced behind him to look at her and she kept her expression neutral, although she rolled her eyes internally. _"Consultant" was a polite way of putting it._

Sighing, he turned back to Coulson. "And technically, Skye's a member of the Rising Tide. She hacked our R.S.A. implementation--"

"Twice," Coulson interrupted. "From a laptop. Imagine what she'll do with our resources."

"I am. That's exactly what I'm imagining during this frown. You brought me on for risk assessment," Ward continued. "She's a risk. She doesn't think like us."

"Exactly."

"We have two kids on this bus who aren't cleared for combat," May added. "You're adding a third."

"At least Fitz-Simmons are trained S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists," Ward said, and Aurora couldn't help but nod in agreement. They knew what they had signed up for, theoretically. Skye, on the other hand, was going into this blind. She had no idea what being a part of a S.H.I.E.L.D. field team entailed; the very real dangers involved. Dangers that could, and probably would, ruin her.

"But Skye?" Ward continued, "You said this was a select team. Assembled to work new cases, to protect people. I don't see how letting some hacker tag along--"

"I'm looking for an objection I haven't already anticipated. Agent Auditore," Coulson turned to face her, "maybe you have such an objection."

Aurora shook her head. "I think you've already made up your mind."

"Terrific non-answer," he chuckled. "Now, what do you really think." Aurora could hear the slight order that laced his words, and the liquid in her mouth evaporated as an uncomfortable feeling crawled under her skin. She ran her tongue on the back of her teeth, suddenly wishing she had stayed in the lab. She could feel the eyes of the agents on her, and she swallowed. When she spoke, she made sure to keep her voice and her face as emotionless as possible.

"Fieldwork changes people," she said simply, keeping her eyes locked on the spot above Agent Coulson's head. "Skye's going to change too." _Because of your decision, and you have to live with that._ She knew Coulson understood, by the subtle change in his expression and the way he looked back down at the tablet in his hand.

"Concern heard and also already considered," he said, "but you're right, I have already made the decision. I'm calling this. But," he turned to Ward, "your frown will be on record."

"We've been called in to investigate an 0-8-4. We all know what that means."

"Yes, we do," Coulson said. "It means we don't know what that means." Then he handed the tablet off to May, presumably with the location of the 0-8-4, who turned and walked off towards the cockpit. 

Simultaneously, Fitz, Simmons, and Skye walked into the lounge. Fitz was carrying a large box, shifting its weight in his hands as he spoke while Skye carried two bags. She heard Ward grunt behind her. Taking a step forward, she leaned against the doorway closest to them as May came over the intercom.

_"Wheels up in two. Lock it or lose it."_

"What's that mean?" Skye asked, looking at the scientists.

"Takeoff," Aurora answered, and the three turned to her. "Two minutes. Buckle up." 

Simmons nodded, a broad smile on her face. "Indeed. No backing out now, let's find a bunk for our guest."

"Oh, yeah, there's only one left, and it's next to Simmons!" Fitz said. She watched him race to drop the box on Skye's new bed. He moved, letting the girl pass him and put down the rest of her stuff, bounding back towards Aurora and Simmons. Stopping in front of the doorway where she leaned, he gestured for Aurora and Simmons to walked in front of him.

"Ladies first," he said. Aurora stifled the small smile pulling at the corner of her lips at his over-eager expression. Walking in front of the two scientists, they prepared for takeoff.

⊗⊗⊗

Peru was as beautiful, and as hot, as Aurora remembered it being. She loved it. The lush green trees flew by them as they drove to the Incan archaeological site near where the object was detected.

"Tire tracks 40 meters back," Ward observed as soon as he stepped out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. car. "I'll check them against the site's trucks, make sure we're alone."

"Too much exposure here," May added, and Aurora agreed. They were out in the open. The dense trees, although beautiful, provided plenty of coverage for anyone to sneak up on them. They were vulnerable. "I'm gonna find a place to park."

Before May pulled away, Fitz, Simmons, and Skye collected their gear from the back of the truck. Aurora stayed behind the two scientists, only half listening to their discussion about the animal inhabitants of Peru. As she walked, she made a note of how the hair in her braid stuck to the back of her neck, the stiffness in her left combat boot caused by the knife she had stuck there, and the weight of the Smith & Wesson M&P handgun that rested on the curve of her back, covered by her black leather jacket. _Their location made them vulnerable, but she was not._

Coming to the edge of the site, they walked through a gap between the trees and in front of them laid an impressive temple. Aurora stopped and marveled at the structure, letting out a low whistle at the sight. Up ahead, the two scientists took a selfie of themselves in front of the temple, and she shook her head at the sight. Moving, she joined Agent Coulson as he made his way up the ancient steps, Skye close behind them.

"Good morning, professor," Coulson said, reaching the landing. "I'm Agent Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D. I understand that you've made an interesting discovery."

"I'm not sure how to explain it," the professor said, gesturing to the entrance of the temple. "This temple dates back at least 500 years. It's filled with pre-Incan artifacts. One of them is impossible. And looks like it might be dangerous."

"Well, that's why we're here."

With that, the group of agents followed the professor down more steps and into the temple. Aurora noticed the light in the room stemmed from the strings of industrial lights hanging from the wooden poles running across the length of the room, reinforcing the ancient stone walls. There was a single exit and entrance point. The wall directly in front of them had been carved with intricate designs, which a glowing metal object was embedded in. 

The professor pointed at the 0-8-4 and spoke. "Exactly as we found it."

"Who else knows about this?" Coulson asked.

"Just the Ministry," the professor said. "I believe they are the ones who contacted you."

Behind the two men, Aurora watched as Skye pulled out her phone, and Fitz and Simmons put down their cases, allowing their fairytale droids to take flight around the room.

"Sir, I need you and your team to evacuate the site until we determine the risk associated with this object," Coulson said, as one of the droids targeted the object. "Now-- for your own safety." Glancing concerned around the room, the professor gave a jerky nod and left.

"There's nothing about this anywhere. It's amazing. I searched every data stream," Skye said, wandering closer and closer to the unknown object. _That's the power of bureaucracy._

"Whoa, careful. I-I, no, wouldn't do that," Fitz rambled as Skye lifted her hand to touch the object.

"The object's placement in fossiliferous rock formations for at least 1,500 years," Simmons said cheerfully. "That predates this temple by a millennium. Ah! Maybe it is Alien."

"Yeah, but the shape and the craftsmanship, it's almost German," Fitz said, looking up at them.

Before anyone could respond, the sound of trucks skidding to a stop filtered through the temple. Instinctually Aurora's entire posture straightened, and her hand moved to pull out her handgun. Taking a step, she turned her back to the agents and pointed her gun out towards the entrance, clicking off the safety.

 _"Sir,"_ Ward's voice radioed in.

"Go."

_"We have a situation."_

"Lots of rebels in this area," Skye said. 

Coulson shook his head. "Not enough gunfire. Keep working. I'm on my way." Before he exited the temple, he turned, looking at Aurora. "Hold your position; don't fire unless ordered." She nodded.

Behind her, she could hear Simmons and Fitz discussing the science behind the object, using words above her level of understanding, and she smiled slightly as Skye attempted to join in on it. Seconds later, she saw the flash of a jacket, and she tightened her grip on her gun.

"Whoa, whoa, down tiger," Ward spoke, hands raised in mock surrender. "It's just me." Sighing, Aurora lowered her gun. "But, we've got company. National police. They heard about the object. They're probably here to protect it. This area had lots of rebel uprisings."

"Yeah, people are fighting back against the government's mining policies," Skye said. "It's pretty kick-ass." 

"Yeah, it's kick-ass, all the violence."

"That's not what I'm saying."

"No, that's what you're typing. In your van, alone-- where it's safe."

"Ward," Aurora's voice cut through, getting the attention of the agents, "lay off."

"Of course _you'd_ agree with her," he said, rolling his eyes, and Aurora ignored the stab of annoyance in her gut, gritting her teeth. Then he looked at the scientists. "How much longer?"

"What's the hurry?"

"Are we in danger?"

"Not if everyone does their job," he answered, then he looked back to Skye. "What is yours, exactly?"

Aurora had to physically bite her tongue to keep herself from snapping at the man. The more time she spent on this team, the more she wanted to _hit_ Ward. Skye opened her mouth, but a loud boom shook the temple floor, dirt and dust falling from the walls and ceiling at the force. Aurora raised her gun again.

"Sounds like they're engaging with rebels, let's go." Moving, she and Ward stood on opposite sides of the entrance, ready to fire.

"We need a containment case for the 0-8-4," Simmons said as they hurriedly packed away their gear.

"There's no time!"

"But It has a fluctuating power core--" _'fluctuating'_ the alien tech is unstable, fantastic, incredible, just perfect. Another explosion rocked the temple, scattering more dirt.

"Sorry, science class is over." Then Ward was pulling the unstable alien tech out of the wall. Shock filled her as her teammate pulled 1,500-year-old alien technology out of a 500-year-old wall.

 _"Ward_ , _"_ she hissed, _what the hell is wrong with you_.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you did not just pull that out of the wall," Fitz said, gesturing wildly with his hands. "What is the matter with you? Do you realize we do not know the amount of photon emissions coming out of this? We don't know what will happen if it gets excited." 

But Ward wasn't listening. He shoved the 0-8-4 into a backpack and forcefully put it onto Fitz's shoulders. Then without waiting for the rest of the non-combat agents, Ward and Aurora exited the temple. Ward immediately took a knee on the landing while she stayed by the entrance, ready to duck back into cover if necessary, both firing into the crowd of rebels. Bullets pinged off the stone around them, but she made sure to keep her shots as nonlethal as possible, aiming for their arms or shoulders. They were just people fighting for their rights; they didn't deserve to die.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jemma's bright blue coat emerge from the temple, and before she could run straight into Ward, Aurora instinctively reached out to take hold of her collar. As she did, she felt a burst of pain erupt from her upper arm, which suddenly felt like it was on fire, and she let out an involuntary grunt. _Fuck_ , she forgot how much being shot hurt. Gritting her teeth harder, Aurora shoved Jemma back into cover, inadvertently causing Skye and Leo to fall over each other. Breathing through her pain, a surge of feeling took over, and she stood directly in front of her unarmed, untrained, unprepared teammates.

At her grunt of pain, Ward turned his head to look at her. Eyes glancing at her now torn leather jacket, he pulled out a small silver cylinder, which, with a single gesture elongated. Making eye contact, she clicked the safety back on, and they both dived off the landing. Aurora landed in a crouched position, ignoring the pain radiating from her arm. Ward shoved the cylinder into the ground and blue energy erupted, knocking down anyone who was still standing.

Straightening up, she removed the safety and pointed her gun towards the rebels. In slow motion, she watched as one of them stood up, aiming his assault rifle at the unarmed agents. As his finger pulled the trigger, May arrived in the S.H.I.E.L.D. bulletproof S.U.V., skidding to a stop in front of them. Ignoring the sound of bullets ricocheting off metal, Aurora yanked the door open and pushed the seat down so that Skye and Jemma could climb into the back. Putting the seat back up she pushed Leo in, once again hitting the safety on her gun, she shoved it back to where it rested on her waist and followed after him as Ward took shotgun. Before they could even close their doors, May was going, her foot firmly on the gas.

The car jostled violently with every bump on the dirt road as they made their way back to the bus. Taking the moment, Aurora took inventory of her wound. Moving the fabric away, she saw the bullet had only grazed her, although it was still pulsating with pain. Pulling her hand away, she noted that her fingertips were now coated in blood. _Ah, Son of a Bitch_.

"Slow down," Fitz yelled from beside her, where he was clutching his bag like a lifeline.

Skye pulled herself up to lean between them. "You're joking, right?"

"Ward, listen! We have to be careful. There's a binding energy structure that could overheat." Right, the unstable alien technology that Ward had yanked out of the wall. Aurora had almost forgotten.

"I could roll down a window!" _What_. Without thinking, Aurora clicked off her seatbelt, and shoved Skye down, covering the hacker's body with her own as Simmons _rolled down a window_. Unsurprisingly, the sound of bullets ricocheting became louder. Promptly realizing her mistake, she rolled the window back up. Giving it a second, Aurora moved back to her seat, irritation and pain bubbling under her skin.

Turning in his seat, Ward spoke, annoyance clear in his tone. "Stay quiet and keep your heads down."

"But Ward--"

 _"Quiet,"_ all three combat agents yelled with varying degrees of annoyance and exasperation.

The car skidded to a stop at the top of the ramp, and all the agents were moving. May was running to the cockpit, while Ward headed to the ramp control panel. Without hesitatin, Aurora and Fitz jumped out of the car on their respective sides. Fitz headed to cover, while she moved her seat out of the way, helping Simmons and Skye out. Like Fitz, Simmons immediately headed to cover at the top of the ramp.

"What are you doing?" Skye yelled at Ward. "Coulson is still out there!" Catching Skye's arm with her wounded one, Aurora stopped her from moving closer to him.

"Get to cover Skye," she spoke firmly, pulling out her gun and getting ready to provide covering fire.

"Wait, were you shot?" Skye's voice took on an unnaturally high-pitched tone as she stared at Aurora's wound.

Aurora ignored the question, instead using her grip on Skye's arm to move her back. "Cover. NOW."

Skye spared one more look at her arm, before finally doing as she was told. Seconds later, the truck with Coulson pulled up. As did the jeep with the rebels. She and Ward both laid down covering fire so that Coulson and the national police could make their way into the bus, the ramp closing behind them.

"Cut it pretty close, sir," Ward said.

"Didn't want to leave anyone behind." Aurora exhaled firmly out of her nose, pushing down her annoyance. Now she was stuck on the plane with both S.H.I.E.L.D. bureaucracy and national police bureaucracy, _great_. 

Aurora eyed the woman, standing behind Coulson. She was strong, not just physically; the woman radiated an air of power _._

"That's Reyes," Ward muttered. "Leader of the national police." The two agents shared a look, and together, joined the rest of the team on the ramp.

Ward looked to Fitz. "Now, what was the problem?"

"As I said before," he said, out of breath, "this device has a high-frequency, fluctuating, sub-material compression--"

"Fitz, in English."

"The 0-8-4 is fueled by tesseract technology. H.Y.D.R.A. World War II. Captain America. It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation." Aurora swallowed, hating what every word out of the scientist's mouth meant.

"Gamma-- you're saying it's nuclear?" Ward asked.

"No," Coulson said, trepidation lacing his words. "He's saying it's much, much worse."

Simultaneously, each member of the team took a step back from the object.

⊗⊗⊗

Unsurprisingly, tension was still high among the group. While Coulson updated the S.H.I.E.L.D. higher-ups on the 'more than nuclear' object currently residing on their plane, Simmons had patched up Aurora's arm. Thankfully, the graze wasn't deep enough to need stitches, so she leaned against one of the tables in the lab next to Skye, in her black cami top, with a simple white compression wrap cinched around her wound.

"Not to worry," Simmons said, handling the 0-8-4. Aurora would have been more inclined to believe her if she didn't sound so worried; from the look on Skye's face, it seemed she was feeling similarly. "The device is stable. Not that it couldn't explode at any minute, especially if hit with machine-gun fire. But things like this happen from time to time, when in the field, and at first, it's very unpleasant, and you regret your decision to leave the lab at all."

Unlike the nervously vibrating Simmons, Fitz was dealing with the aftermath of being in his first combat situation by way of yelling at Ward. 

"Are you mental? I did explain in great detail, exactly what I meant, using the _Queen's bloody English!"_

"I use normal English," Ward said, irritation also evident in his tone. "Words like 'duck' and 'run' and 'might blow us to pieces.'"

"Oh! Well, congratulations, Agent Ward, you managed to string three words together in a sentence."

Aurora couldn't help but roll her eyes at the two men as they continued to snap back and forth at each other, both getting increasingly louder with every passive-aggressive insult. Turning her head to look at Skye, the other woman shot her a look that Aurora could only interpret as _men_.

"Do we have a problem in here?" Coulson asked, entering the lab and finally breaking apart the two men who immediately became sheepish at his authority. Aurora supposed that knocking certain men down a peg or two was one of the few upsides of government authority.

"No, sir," Ward answered. "Just working on our communication. Not everyone was prepared for a firefight." He glanced at the two scientists.

"We got out, didn't lose anyone, saved a few of theirs-- I'd say we did alright. Anything else?"

Skye slowly raised her hand, and everyone turned to look at her. "Uh, yeah. I have a small question. Because I've been feeling like a tagalong hayseed rookie, but now I get the sense that Ward doesn't know which one's Simmons and which one's Fitz, Auditore doesn't actually like anyone here, and they've," she gestured at the scientists, "seen even less gunfire than me, and I'm no rocket scientist but is this your first mission together?"

"No, of course not," Simmons said. "It's our second."

"I was your first? That's sweet."

"You're amused?" Ward asked.

"I'm terrified," Skye corrected. "I am in way over my head, but I have been on this team just as long as any of you. I might as well be team captain." Simmons scoffed slightly, and annoyance and exhaustion filled Aurora's body. Simmons had rolled down her window while they were being shot at _putting their lives at risk_ , why was she acting like she was any better than Skye? "I was joking," the girl continued, "but maybe that's not a bad idea, because these guys do not like each other much."

"This isn't about that," Ward said, turning to look at Coulson. "I am a specialist. Today, I could have eliminated the enemy threat myself if I was working alone." Aurora really hated that she agreed with a man who had _impulsively pulled potentially explosive alien technology out of a wall._ "But I had non-combat-ready agents--"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. You work alone?" Fitz interrupted.

"So typical. Who do you think designs your equipment?" Simmons asked.

"Or the polymers for your weaponry."

"People like us do it."

"Try going into the field with your bare bum." Aurora fought down the urge to tell them that she didn't need their fancy gear, and Ward probably didn't either. She was sure he had killed men without it before, just as she had. 

Once again, Coulson broke up the argument, talking over the scientists. "We still need to iron out the kinks. But Ward, Auditore, combined you speak nine languages. Simmons, you have two Ph.D.'s in fields I can't pronounce, and Fitz, you are a rocket scientist. So work it out." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Skye to shout out behind him.

"I-I'm good at stuff, too." 

⊗⊗⊗

Somehow Aurora found herself next to Ward in the lounge area of the bus, the two of them sitting next to each other on the couch quietly reading. The silence was nice, good almost, considering everything that had happened.

 _"Hunger Games_?" Skye teased, drawing their attention away from their respective books.

 _"Matterhorn,_ " Ward answered. "One of a hundred books my S.O. gave me that I'm just now getting around to." Skye shot them a look of confusion.

"Supervising officer," Aurora said simply.

"Got it. Hackers have lingo too, but I'll pick yours up." Skye shot her an expected look, and she swallowed dryly as an uncomfortable feeling settled in her gut.

 _"Frankenstein_ , _"_ she said, holding up the book slightly.

Skye nodded. "I feel like us-- wrong foot. Can I," she shook the bottle of alcohol in her hand, "buy you a drink?" Aurora looked between the two of them and stood up. She and Skye had no issues; there was no need for her to stay.

"Wait!' Skye interrupted, shifting on her feet. "I have enough glasses for all of us." _Are you sure?_ Aurora wanted to ask, _because it feels like I'm intruding on a moment_. Swallowing again, she sat back down, tucking one leg under her.

"What I said before-- when I said the uprising was, whatever I said-- a good thing," Skye continued, sitting on the table in front of them. "I don't want you to think I'm oblivious. What I was talking about were the Tweets."

"Tweets," Ward repeated. "You trying to make things better or worse?"

"Peruvians have organized for the first time in decades," Skye said, pouring the drinks. "Thousands of suffering people who have never met uniting over a common idea? It's mind-blowing. And I don't want to bring it up, because I don't want to see your hate face, but that's what the Rising Tide is all about."

"Okay."

"Usually, one person doesn't have the solution. But a hundred people, with 1% of the solution-- that'll get it done. I think that's beautiful. Pieces solving a puzzle." A second passed, and Ward turned to look at her. Aurora knew what Ward thought about her past, about what, how, and where she was trained, even about how she viewed the world. He'd made it clear in his offhanded comments. But at that moment, an understanding passed between them. Something that set them apart from the woman sitting on the table, and perhaps the rest of the people on the bus.

"We see the world differently is all," he spoke.

"I've never been in a war zone, during a war, until today. That was crazy," Skye's eyes glanced between the two of them. "I take it you've both seen that a lot." Neither of them answered. Aurora looked down at her hands, but she watched Ward down a large sip of his drink out of the corner of her eye. As he placed the glass back down, Skye practically lunged forward.

"Did you get shot?" Looking up, Aurora saw a patch of blood seeping through his white shirt.

"Skin deep," he said. "Nothing to worry about."

"You got shot. You _both_ got shot," her eyes darted to the wrap on Aurora's arm. "Did that happen protecting us?"

"Said don't worry about it." There was a small, almost amused, smile on his face. "I wasn't pissed. I was," Ward spared a glance at Aurora, " _we_ were trained to be the whole solution. To eliminate variables." Bitterness laced his tone and he glared at the national police sitting in the booth near them. "And today, they keep adding up."

"Agreed," Aurora mumbled, shooting a more neutral look at the soldiers and biting down her own bitterness. Skye looked at her for a moment, as if attempting to analyze her, and she wondered if Skye would ask the question Aurora had been waiting for. She didn't.

"We're turning," Skye observed, as the plane shifted beneath them.

"We've entered restricted airspace, so we have to follow certain flight paths, regulation," Ward explained. "This plane is capable of fully automated flight, but May has to be on the stick herself tonight."

"You've got an S.O., May's got to be on the stick. Lots of good lingo on this plane."

"Yeah, we just can't seem to understand each other."

There was a look on his face that Aurora couldn't entirely decipher as he examined Skye. She ran her tongue along her teeth and fought the urge to stand up and leave these two to finish whatever this was. But something shifted in the air. With it, she felt the hair on the back of her neck and arms stand up. Something was wrong. Subconsciously, her entire body tensed and her eyes moved around the room to find the cause, immediately focusing on the soldiers. They were tense too, no smiles. They played their cards almost mechanically, talking low, making a point not to allow their lips to form words fully. She couldn't read their lips. A siren sounded in her head. _Threat. Threat. Threat._ She turned to Ward, and they looked at each other for a moment. He felt it too.

"Skye, hand me the bottle," his voice was low, forcing a casual tone.

The hacker sat blissfully unarmed and unaware in front of them. "Okay, Turbo, but you're still nursing the one you got."

"I'm not the only one." As soon as he finished the sentence, the blissful look on her face disappeared as she shot the police a very conspicuous look.

Aurora could hear the ticking of the second hand on the analog clock mounted on the wall near them. She counted each tick, waiting to see who would move first. 

It was four. 

Four ticks and the police were moving. 

Ward shoved Skye out of the way as Aurora vaulted over the table, intercepting the second man. She vaguely heard the sound of glass breaking and a yelp of pain, but it didn't matter. These men were not civilians fighting for their homeland or their family, no, these men were the invaders. She had no issues fighting to kill, so she did. 

Standing near the booth where the soldiers had been not a minute ago, she blocked the punch thrown at her with her wounded arm, gritting her teeth at the radiating stinging sensation. Pivoting at the waist, she used the full force of her momentum to slam down the back of the soldier's head on the wooden corner of the booth. He fell unceremoniously to the ground and didn't get back up.

Turning to the rest of the room, she saw Ward straddling the waist of the other man, staring at the screen in front of him, the one that streamed the camera in the lab. _Jemma and Leo_. She took a step forward, and dread filled her body. One of the policemen was holding a scalpel to Leo's neck, fear clearly visible in his face. Jemma was tied up behind them. There was a ruckus behind her, and suddenly one of the officers took hold of Skye.

_Fucking non-combat agents._

⊗⊗⊗

The threat of the scalpel on the scientist's neck made it easy for the officers to subdue Aurora, Ward, and Coulson. After taking one look at their fellow officer laying, unmoving, on the floor, despite her hands tied in handcuffs, Aurora had been walked down to the cargo hold with the cold metal of a gun pressed to the back of her head. Any color left in the scientists' faces after their encounter in the lab, had drained at the sight. It probably didn't help that her wound was bleeding again, resulting in the pristine white wrap turning red. 

Now the team, minus their fearless leader, was lined up next to each other on the floor. Aurora was wedged between Fitz and Ward, the prolonged physical contact with both men ratcheted up the uncomfortable feelings simmering under her skin.

"This is my fault," Fitz muttered. "Should have learned Kung Fu." 

"Oh, yeah, but I shouldn't have pushed you into the field in the first place," Simmons said. "You weren't ready."

"It was my job to make a proper threat assessment," Ward spoke.

"Uh, we-- we weren't ready," Fitz interrupted. Aurora closed her eyes and leaned back against the door, letting out a breath through her nose. She felt Fitz's body move, presumably to look at Simmons.

"This wouldn't have happened if Agent May wasn't on the stick," Skye said. "She would have busted out some of her ninja know-how." Skye cleared her throat. "Not that, Auditore wasn't kickass up there." 

"Hey," Ward said. 

Skye rolled her eyes. "You kicked ass too, Ward." 

"Agent May?" Fitz said. "No. No, No. She transferred from administration." Aurora let out another breath. 

"Well, I've seen her destroy a guy, so." A second went by, and she opened her eyes to see all three looking at her and Ward.

"Not it," Aurora said.

"You've heard of the Cavalry?" he asked.

"Yeah. Everyone at the academy talks about--" Fitz said, then a look of recognition passed over his face.

"She's the Cavalry," both scientists exclaimed.

Next to them, May groaned. "I told you never to call me that." 

"I can't believe it," Simmons said, letting out a relieved chuckle. "We're sure to get out of here now. Um, how do we get out of here?" Agent May let out a sound of discomfort as she sat up.

"Can't go through the doors," she said. "They're bolted, tied to the pressurization lines. You two geniuses have nothing?"

"Yeah, well, it's hard to concentrate in these intense situations," Fitz said.

"Hey. Don't freeze up," Ward said, in what Aurora assumed was his attempt at a comforting tone. "Take a breath. You don't need to come up with the whole solution." He looked at Aurora for a split second before glancing at Skye. "Just a part of it. Right?"

"Yeah," Skye said. "Pieces solving a puzzle."

They spent the next few minutes bouncing ideas off each other. Well, mainly Fitz and Simmons. They went back and forth, spouting off mechanical and engineering language, taking turns attempting to translate it back to English for the rest of the team. Then Skye suggested the most idiotic and brilliant idea. 

"Well, that's clearly the worst idea we've heard yet," Simmons said.

"But it could work," Skye argued. 

"Reyes is going to kill us the minute we land, regardless, and blame it on rebels," Ward said. "This way, we have a fighting chance. I'll take it."

"Me too," Aurora spoke.

Ward nodded. "What's first?"

"We can't get upstairs without going in the lab," Fitz said.

"And the only way to release the lab door is from upstairs," Simmons added.

"The first thing is we're tied to the cargo door," Skye said. "So unless you can-" The sound of a crack stopped her from finishing her sentence as the three non-combat agents flinched.

"What the hell was that?" Fitz said, his neck practically melting into his shoulders.

"Her wrist," Ward answered. Turning, May shot Aurora a look, and when she spoke, it was the voice of a superior delivering an order.

"Auditore." Aurora sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"Fine." _It's not like I've already been shot today_ , _what's a little more pain?_ She glanced at Fitz next to her, who was still slightly curled in on himself. "Sorry, Fitz."

"Why are you--" The sound of her dislocating the wrist on her wounded arm interrupted Fitz's question, as once again the man flinched. "Bloody hell."

Aurora gritted her teeth as a new wave of pain pulsed through her wrist and up her forearm, and she rested her head lightly against the wall behind her.

"Should I get the guard," Aurora asked, concentrating on keeping her breath steady and her voice low, "or do you want the honors?"

"I'll do it," May paused. "You get ready to unlock the others." 

⊗⊗⊗

While May slinked her way up to where their guard stood behind the railing, Aurora slowly slipped her hand out of the cuff and snapped it back into place. She gritted her teeth as more pain radiated through her wrist. Still moving slowly, she took a bobby pin out from the underside of her braid. Lowing her hand down, she positioned her body more towards Ward. He was the only one still cuffed that was prepared for combat. He took priority. 

Predictably, it took seconds for May to take down the guard, wrapping her legs around the man's neck and dropping him to the ground. Dramatically, she snapped her own wrist back in place. 

"What's next?" As soon as the words passed her lips, Aurora was moving, picking the lock to Ward's cuff. Once he was out, she gave him the pin so he could unlock Skye. She took out another pin from her hair, and soon Fitz and Simmons were free from their cuffs too.

The group moved to stand in a circle in the center of the ramp. Aurora watched as May paid them no mind, moving Reyes's man out of the way. The woman had a plan; she knew it.

"Okay, we're sure, right? Everyone's sure?" Skye asked them.

"We're all on board," Simmons assured.

"Yeah, let's do this fast," Fitz said.

"No turning back," Ward added, then he looked at Fitz. "No freezing up."

"Because if we do, then--"

"Death," Aurora interrupted firmly.

"Yup."

"We know." 

"All right." 

The sound of a car revving drew their attention away from the conversation. Turning Aurora saw May standing half in the driver-side door of the S.U.V. and half out of it. The agent looked at them and raised an eyebrow. "You guys talk a lot." 

Without hesitating, Aurora and Ward helped push the ducklings out of the way as May got in the car and drove straight into the glass doors of the lab, glass and sparks flying at the impact. Everyone made a beeline to their respective jobs, Fitz pulled out his droids while Simmons unscrewed the vent cover. May took her first chance to escape upstairs, and Aurora, Ward, and Skye headed straight to the shelves that lined the wall, searching for rope and safety clips. She looked down at the rope in her hand and paused, muttering under her breath, "I miss my damn gun."

Moving quickly, the two remaining combat agents worked to hook everyone in safely.

"Simmons," Fitz said, tapping on his tablet. "Forget what I said before. This is the moment that we'll regret." Then he triggered the 0-8-4, blowing a hole in the side of the airplane at 30,000 feet. They heard the blast, then the sound of loud, whistling wind. Next to them, the red light that indicated the locked door turned green. Aurora controlled her breathing as she felt adrenaline fill her body.

"It worked," Skye said.

"The drop in cabin pressure released the doors," Simmons said.

"We'll take care of the soldiers," Ward said, gesturing to Aurora. "You guys get to the 0-8-4."

"And Coulson?" Fitz asked.

"Let's hope he can handle himself." Ward pulled the door open. Aurora followed after him and immediately felt the effect of the wind as the pressure tried to force her body out of the plane. Shots rang out, and the two agents ducked behind the half wall. Aurora didn't stop moving. Keeping close to the floor, she walked towards one of the soldiers. Standing up suddenly, she used her arm to force the gun up towards the ceiling, quickly using her other to strike the pressure point on his neck. Within seconds the man's eyes rolled up, and his body dropped to the ground. She rounded the couch and helped Ward tie down another soldier. 

Ward motioned to the other agents and shouted, "Go now! Find the 0-8-4," before another soldier tackled both of them to the ground. She could vaguely hear Leo yelling for help, and she turned her head to see him on the floor battling the wind. Before she could help him, the plane declined sharply, and Aurora felt her stomach rise into her throat at the plummeting sensation as the others fell to the floor. She cursed loudly, moving slowly into a standing position, Ward could handle the man that had tackled them. 

She felt the pressure of the wind against her body and looked around the plane. Skye had unclipped herself, but was okay. Ward was fighting, also okay. Leo and Jemma were still tied together, but the soldier on the couch had freed himself and was clutching onto their rope, less okay. 

Before she could make her way to them, Leo had cut himself free and both he and the soldier fell to the ground; the soldier knocked into Ward, forcing him off balance and dangerously close to the hole. One of his hands was holding onto the pole for his life while a soldier grasped the other. Not good. But there was nothing she could do. Any interference could lead to Ward falling 30,000 feet. The two scientists yelled out their apologies to the man as Aurora helped them up from the ground and forced them into safety behind the half wall.

Turning to look at Ward, she watched the hand keeping him alive give way to the pressure of the wind. Less than a second before Ward plummeted, a bright yellow inflatable raft expanded, blocking the hole and saving his life, thanks to Skye. Aurora let herself feel relief as the team let out a collective breath. 

Slowly, everyone staggered towards the bar. Fitz was clinging to a pole like a Koala bear, distress still apparent on his face. As she passed him, she had the sudden urge to comfort him, and she almost raised her hand to pat him on the back. But something deep within her subconscious stopped her, and she kept her hands at her sides. _Weak. Weak. Weak._

"No other way in, huh?" Coulson asked, glancing at the hole in his plane. "I was just starting to warm up to this place."

"The 0-8-4 is cooling and stable," Fitz said, still clutching the pole. "But we should call H.Q. and get it to the Slingshot, as soon as possible."

Turning, Coulson addressed Reyes on the floor. "Told you they were good." 

⊗⊗⊗

The Slingshot resided somewhere in the middle of a desert, the exact location, however, was above Aurora's clearance level. As soon as they had landed, a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. workers had immediately collected the 0-8-4 and started construction on their bus. On the edge of the lowered ramp, the three combat agents cleaned and compiled an inventory of their weapons. Aurora smirked to herself as she watched Ward watch Skye.

"Looks like Skye might end up as more than just a consultant," he said, "despite our reservations. She could turn into a solid asset, with some serious work."

"Well, if she wants to be a field agent," May said, and if Aurora didn't know better, she'd say there was mischief in her voice. "She'll need a supervising officer. Someone disciplined, someone good." May eyed Ward. Seeing her look, his head shot to Aurora, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"All right," he said slowly. "I'll do it." There was a pause as he fiddled with the scope in his hand. "Just to clarify, you were, uh, talking about me, right?" May smiled.

Walking down the ramp, Fitz, who was carrying a blue cooler in one hand and an open beer in the other, called out to them, "Come on. You guys don't want to miss this." He set down the cooler, and he and Simmons sat down on either side of it. 

Ward took a seat next to him, while May joined Simmons. Aurora felt apprehension rise up in her as she stood behind them. This was a bonding moment, a team moment, she could feel it. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"How many of those have you guys had," Skye joked next to her.

"Skye," Simmons answered, laughing. "It's important, when in the field, to unwind from time to time."

"Yeah, yeah," Fitz added. "Especially after a hard day of everyone almost dying." He glanced behind to look at Skye, and his eyes fell on Aurora. He patted the small space between him and Ward. "Come on, Auditore." At his words, Ward rolled his eyes playfully and scooted over, so there was more room. Slowly, she sat down between the two men, allowing her legs to hang off the ramp, accepting a beer from Fitz. His face was slightly red, and a small, unfamiliar warmth filled her chest, seeing the smile on his face: a small, but genuine small formed on her lips.

"Which doesn't happen every day, right? It's an anomaly-- an irregularity. Not the norm," Simmons' voice trailed off, looking at their leader.

"Speaking of 'not the norm'" Coulson said, "whose idea was it to blow a hole in the plane?" Silence.

"May said that the doors were tied to the pressurization," Skye started, "so I thought--"

"So _we_ thought," Simmons interrupted, "it was the only way to release them."

"It was everyone's idea, sir," Ward added.

"Yes, quite genius, really," said Fitz.

Coulson looked at all of them. "Nice work." A man's voice came over the speaker, announcing that it was time for liftoff. Fitz pitched his nose, mimicking the man's voice.

"Launching, in three, two..." The sound of the rocket taking off filled the air, and together the team watched as it rose high into the sky. It was peaceful. But in that moment of real peace, a fear came over Aurora, caused by a simple thought.

_Damn, I could really care about these people._

Word Count: 7,344


	3. Chapter Three

_* T.W.: Implied Child Abuse*_

_*Skip to End of Italics*_

_She couldn't see anything through the darkness. She could hear Eddie's snoring on the other side of the room, and the sound of Angie cooing i_ _n her ear washed over her like the tide. She could feel her sister's_ _warm, calloused hands running up and down her upper arms helping to ease the pain in her chest and the bruises forming on her stomach._

_"Shhhhhhh, Rory, she can't hurt us here. We're safe. You're safe."_

_She leaned into the warmth of_ _Angie's_ _body, and Angie moved to further_ _cocoon herself around Aurora._

_"We're safe. I promise."_

_She blinked and the warmth was gone;_ _Angie was gone._

_The snoring was gone too._ _They were both gone._

_She was alone._

_There was nothing but Aurora and the darkness in the silent_ _cinderblock_ _room. Goosebumps rose on her skin and cold see_ _ped into her bones. She could feel the metal bars that made up her feeble bunk bed dig into her back through the thin mattress as fear crept back into her body. Aurora reached her hand out behind her, searching. "Angie! Eddie!" she called out into the never-ending blackness. "Come back!"_

_A cold hand suddenly wrapped itself in a vice grip on her upper arm, and Aurora cried out instinctually, curling into herself. Her hands took hold of the metal bars knowing what would happen next, knowing that there was no point resisting but doing it anyway. She felt Mother's blunt fingernails dig into her flesh,_ _breaking_ _the skin._

_"Pathetic girl. Weak girl. And we can't have that, can we?"_

_The hand pulled her off the bed with one tug, and Aurora's body landed on the hard concrete._

_"Please!"_

Aurora sat straight up in bed, one of her hands clutching tightly at her collarbone the other holding, white-knuckled, to the side of her bed. Her breath came fast as her eyes darted around the room. They finally landed on the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo painted on the closet doors. She was on the bus. She was okay. She closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. After a moment, Aurora took back control, opening her eyes, she looked at the clock on her small bedside table, situated next to her small potted plant. Four AM. May wouldn't even be awake yet, but there was no point in going back to sleep. She knew what came next in that particular dream, and she would be better off without it.

Rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes, she brushed her hair out of her eyes and pulled herself off the bed. Slowly she put on her work out gear, taking her time in methodically braiding her hair back.

⊗⊗⊗

Aurora's earphones were pushed deep into her ears as the sound of old classic rock drowned out Skye and Ward's bickering as she did her side crunches on the bus's ramp. Skye had been late for Ward's strength training again, and Aurora was sure he was going to make her pay for it later. Aurora was also sure Skye was going to complain about it later.

Her muscles aching, she transferred into the push-up position, before she could start her set, she heard May come over the intercom. She took out her earphones.

_"Changing course, briefing in three."_

"Looks like we're on the move," Fitz said, and he and Simmons exited the lab and excitedly made their way up the spiral staircase, Ward following quickly behind. Skye heaved out a sigh as Aurora helped herself off the floor.

"You'll get used to it," Aurora said, walking up the stairs to join the others in the lounge.

May's voice came over the intercom again, _"S.H.I.E.L.D. 616 with new orders. Set for Colorado airfield, north."_

Aurora took the seat next to Fitz on the couch as Coulson began filling them in.

"A few minutes ago, a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport was attacked while carrying a Priority Red protected asset. Off Route 76 near Sterling."

"Priority Red," Simmons repeated, surprised.

"The asset," Coulson continued, "was Canadian physicist Dr. Franklin Hall, known for his work--" before he could finish his sentence, the scientists interrupted him.

"Oh, no, not Frank."

"Dr. Hall?" Fitz said. "He was our chemical kinetics adviser our second year."

"Yeah, he's so enthusiastic about science, we just adored him," Simmons added. "We can rescue him, can't we?"

"He's one of ours," Coulson answered. "We're gonna try."

"And the attackers?" Ward asked.

"Invisible." _Great._

"Wait, invisible?" Skye said, laughing. _"Cool."_ Ward shot her a look, and the girl sobered. "But terrible."

⊗⊗⊗

By the time they arrived where the asset had been taken, night had fallen.

"Dr. Hall was an asset?" Skye asked as the team walked side by side down the deserted road.

"One of a few select scientists S.H.I.E.L.D. has been protecting," Coulson said. "People our enemies would love to get their hands on. We keep them hidden, keep them on the move." Cynically, Aurora wondered how many of these people had actually _asked_ for it and how many had this "protection" forced on them.

"Which is why Fitz and I were so lucky to have him," Simmons said from beside her. 

"We don't have him anymore," Coulson said.

"And what does Priority Red mean?" Skye asked.

"It means security should have been... heavy." Turning, the agents saw what looked to be an unmarked S.U.V. hanging from a tree. 

"It was pretty damn scary," the man driving the asset said as the team surveyed the site, "and I don't spook easily, boss."

"Nothing in the air, from above?" May asked.

"Nothing over our shoulder, but what's scary is they knew our route," the man replied. "They were waiting for us." 

"Are you saying they were working with somebody inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Coulson asked defensively.

"Sorry to say, it had to be."

"Fitz," Simmons called out, drawing the attention of the team, "what am I seeing here?"

"Well, I'm not wearing the full-spectrum goggles _I_ designed, so no clue. Let me have a look. Come on," he said, as the group wandered over to Simmons.

He tried to take the equipment from her, but Simmons moved out of the way. "No, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! Don't move. Wait a second." She bent down and collected a handful of dirt from the road. Then she tossed it in the air, where it started twisting and turning as if caught in a wind tunnel.

"What the hell," Skye said.

"I think the electro-static field scanner activated some... thing," Simmons said. Suddenly the debris lashed out like a whip, forcing them to duck out of the way. Without thinking about it, Aurora moved to stand slightly in front of Skye.

"Okay, can we deactivate it? Now?" Coulson said. The flying dirt lashed out again.

"Have to increase the density," Fitz yelled.

"I tried Fitz," Simmons yelled back, panicked, "But--" They watched as Fitz rapidly pushed buttons on the equipment when it short-circuited in his hands, causing all the dirt to drop back to the ground. Simmons knelt to the ground again and picked up a small object with a pair of tweezers. "That did all this," she wondered. Coulson took the object from her, looking at it closely.

"What is that?" Skye asked.

"Something big." 

⊗⊗⊗

Back at the lab, Fitz began analysis on the foreign object, while the rest of the team, minus Ward, stood around and watched. Aurora stood as far away as she could. The last unknown object had blown a hole in the plane.

"Either someone cracked our comm system," Coulson said, "or Dr. Hall's movement leaked from inside S.H.I.E.L.D."

Aurora didn't miss the look Agent May shot her. "You really think we have a mole?"

"I think you should go through the communication logs, rule it out," Coulson said. "We'll work the tractor tread that we found on the scene." May gave a short nod, then made her way out of the room.

"I can do that instead of pull-ups," Skye offered. "I can upload an image of the tread pattern, check to see if there's any sort of--"

"Already done," Ward said, dramatically walking into the room. "Matched it to a 2010 model. Found a list of purchases within a 500- mile radius, narrowed down to those with priors, financial troubles, or propensity for risk-taking." He tapped on the tablet in front of him, and three mugshots appeared on the screen. "Three subjects."

"Who may have sold their construction equipment to the kidnappers. We'll ask," Coulson said pointedly.

"Hey, so Ward said a funny thing," Skye said. "He said that you guys don't have a truth serum."

"Did he? Ward said that?" There was an amused little smile on Coulson's face, but it fell when he made eye contact with Aurora. "Agent Auditore, can I speak to you for a moment." His tone caused all the agents in the room to turn to them.

Aurora nodded and followed Coulson out of the room and into the privacy of the ramp. She tried to stomp out the bitterness and resentment rising in her chest and ran her tongue along her teeth. S.H.I.E.L.D. truly knew nothing. 

"I think you know what I'm going to ask you," he said.

"I do." She bit down on her tongue. 

"I think I know the answer too, but I have to ask anyway. You know I do."

"I do." She hated the taste of copper. 

"I know it's forbidden for you to have any contact, but, do you know if..." Coulson heaved out a sigh and looked away from her for a second. "Do you think they have any connection to this abduction?" He didn't need to elaborate. They both knew who the 'they' in question was.

"Was there a body?" Aurora asked, as matter of fact as she could. A small and fleeting part of her hated that she reveled in the shocked expression that came over Coulson's face. "At the site, was there a body?"

The shocked expression morphed into exhaustion. "No, there wasn't a body."

"Then it wasn't them." Us, she corrected in her head, _it wasn't us_.

Coulson nodded and squeezed her upper arm gently. At the touch, a level of uncomfortability joined with the feelings already swirling inside her, but she masked her expression and just nodded in return. She pivoted on her heels, wrenching her arm out of his soft grip and marched back into the lab, pointedly ignoring the questioning looks that were sent her way. 

⊗⊗⊗

Aurora had distanced herself from Coulson after that. He had been (as far as she knew) transparent about information and all details regarding each mission. He treated them all equally, no matter the skill set. But he was still a suit. A man controlled by the government system he believed in. A man with unwavering faith about the organization he worked for. An organization with a deep distrust for anyone who existed outside of that, or who had. Anyone like her. 

This distancing resulted in her remaining a level down from him on the bus, and thus her remaining in the lab with Simmons, Fitz, and Skye. Skye sat at the table, the book of S.H.I.E.L.D. communication logs open in front of her, while the two scientists pulled up the blueprint of the object Simmons had found. In the middle of the metal frame was an odd, almost liquid, substance. Aurora squinted at the image.

"What is that substance?" she asked, clearing her throat. "In the middle?" All three agents turned to look at her. She swallowed.

An excited look came over Fitz's face, and he moved to stand in front of the table. "Gravitonium," he spoke. "It's an extremely rare high-atomic numbered element."

"It's what powers the device," Simmons said. "So extremely rare that most people didn't believe it existed, much less the theory that an isolated positive charge--

"Would turn the flow from isotropic--"

"Guys," Skye interrupted, "high-school dropout here. How does the device work again?"

"Well," Simmons said, "Gravitonium distorts gravity fields within itself, causing an undulating, amorphous shape."

"Which causes these, um," Fitz paused and pointed at the image, "wiggly bits here. But when an electric current is applied, the Gravitonium solidifies. And those gravity fields erupt, randomly changing the rules of gravity around it."

"So, in theory, if it disrupts gravity, could it also create it?" Aurora asked, Fitz and Simmons gave each other a look, and Fitz pointed at her. 

"Hypothetically. Extremely Hypothetically."

"Also," Simmons said, "guess which genius published every theory about Gravitonium and possible applications-- years ago?"

"Dr. Franklin Hall," Skye said.

"Correct," said Fitz. "And, Dr. Hall attended the University of Cambridge at the same time as Ian Quinn." Right, Ian Quinn C.E.O of Quinn Worldwide. Another rich asshole.

"Coulson may be off on this," Skye said. "Quinn is a notoriously good guy. His charity endowment's something like $8 billion."

"You'd be amazed what most 'good guys' do in their spare time," Aurora said quietly.

Simmons nodded. "That money was made by leeching the Earth of its resources. Looks like he dug up another." 

⊗⊗⊗

"The man's a prisoner," Coulson said, frustrated, "and it's up to us to get him out." The team had gathered in the debriefing room, brainstorming ways to get the asset back, (Aurora made a point of not looking at Coulson and instead kept her eyes locked on Fitz, Simmons, and Skye). They had hit nothing but dead ends. 

"We've checked the specs," Ward said, _again_. "There's no way into Quinn's compound without a large S.H.I.E.L.D. strike force or a man inside. He's got neodymium laser fencing surrounding the property."

"They'll never allow a stick force into Malta," Coulson said. "Plus, this weekend, Quinn Worldwide's got its annual shareholders gathering. We'd risk global outrage, but--"

"If we go in alone--" May added.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. can disavow us, claim ignorance."

"Without a man inside," May said, "It's impossible. Unless you're immune to pulse laser emissions."

"If we had a monkey, we could get in," Fitz said.

"A monkey?" Aurora asked right as Simmons let out an exclamation of his name. Clearly, she'd heard this before.

Fitz nodded firmly. "A small monkey could slip through the sensors and disable the fence's power source with his adorable little hands."

"I could go in," Skye said, leaning against one of the walls. Aurora looked at her and nodded slightly. The girl technically wasn't an agent yet, and Skye had proved she wasn't stupid. If they worked the plan around her skillsets... it could work. It would be dangerous, but it could work. Everyone else ignored her.

"Drop me in the hills outside of Valletta. I'll spend a few weeks,' _A few weeks?_ "establishing a cover, gathering intel--"

"Hall doesn't have a few weeks," Coulson said.

"And to restate," Simmons said, "any agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. caught on Maltese soil can be shot to death with bullets-- legally."

"Not me. I could go in," Skye said.

"Skye, this is serious," Ward said, dismissively. 

"Wait," said Coulson, "what are you saying?"

Skye looked at them. "Well, I'm not an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., so I can go in without breaking all these stupid rules."

"International laws," Simmons corrected.

"This isn't something The Rising Tide can hack, Skye," Ward said.

Fitz rubbed his temples. "Did you hear the deadly lasers part," he asked. "Without a brave monkey--"

"You said you could go in with a man inside," Skye said.

"And you want to be that man?" May asked.

"Fitz-Simmons loved the guy, and he needs help. They could be torturing him. Or worse," Skye looked at Ward, "making him do strength-training."

"But you don't have the background or clearance or experience with any of this," Ward said.

"I know." Then she turned the phone in her hand, letting the team see the screen. With a smirk, she said, "But I've got an invitation. Well, technically, it's an e-vite."

⊗⊗⊗

While Ward helped Skye with last-minute training, the rest of the team formulated a plan and with every minute, Aurora was retracting her support. There were going to be a lot of rich and dangerous people attending this party, and Skye had little training with weapons and even less in undercover work. One slip up and it could be the end for her. Aurora ran her tongue along her teeth.

"Skye will walk in the front door," Coulson said, once Ward and Skye joined them back upstairs. "The once external access point to Quinn's underground facility is from a beach cove. A two-man extraction team could slip in there, but it's not easy."

"The perimeter is surrounded by a 20-foot-length neodymium laser grid," Fitz said. "Touch it and you're toast."

"Dead toast. The only way to disable the grid is to crack the system and trigger a reboot," Coulson said. "This would give the team three seconds to cross. Of course, Quinn's too smart to allow any wireless access on his property."

"That's where I come in," Skye said.

Simmons nodded and opened up a case, picking up the object inside it. "This is a working compact-- holds up under x-ray."

"Desert Rose," Fitz said, taking the compact, "to match your complexion. But-- what's this?" Suddenly a row of red lights appeared on the small mirror. They were there only for a second before a row of green lights took their place. "The green emerges if you're in close enough proximity to a computer to gain wireless access."

"When it does, you just drop this nearby and walk out," Simmons said. "We'll do the rest."

"Or it will be if you stick to the plan," Ward said, cocking his handgun. _So dramatic._

"Got it. Plan, green, drop, walk... pie," Skye said, looking only a little phased.

Then the team broke into smaller groups as Coulson joined May. Aurora eyed Ward, who's back faced them as he grabbed supplies. She let out a breath and steeled herself, walking around the non-combat agents, who were marveling at the tech, to stand next to Ward.

"You're on the two-man team?" she asked quietly.

Ward hummed, turning away from the supply cabinet to look at her. "Yup. Me and Coulson." He looked her up and down and smirked. "Why? Wish you were going instead?"

"No." She shook her head, forcing down her amusement at the shock that filtered across his face. She thought back to their first mission, and how angry he was when he realized she was going to take the shot and not him. _I'm not you,_ she thought. _I don't need to prove anything._ "It makes sense; you're Skye's S.O. You should be the one going." 

⊗⊗⊗

It had been about an hour since Coulson, Ward, and Skye had departed from the bus. The hacker had been wearing a bright pink dress and golden earrings. Aurora had felt a bubble of emotion rise in her chest at the girl's outfit. She was definitely going to stick out amongst the suits, which was not ideal. 

She, May, and Simmons stood silently around the table waiting to feed the girl information, so she didn't get killed. 

_"Who are you?"_ The voice of an unknown man came through the speaker, and Aurora situated her hands over the digital keyboard.

Quickly, another unknown voice followed. _"Apologies for his manners. He knows very little English."_

_"Oh, that, uh, that's-- what-- whatever,"_ Skye stuttered back. _"I'm Skye."_

_"Qasim Zaghlul."_

"Built most of Dubai, including Arabian Blade. Think _I, Robot,_ " Aurora said quickly as the information popped up on the screen.

_"Big fan. You built half of Dubai, including the Arabian Blade,"_ Skye repeated _. "I love that building, it's super sci-fi. Where's your wife..."_

"Wife's name is Nadrah," May added.

_"Nadrah?"_

"Twin sons."

_"She staying at home with the boys?"  
_

"How's she doing?" Fitz whispered, placing a bowl of popcorn on the table, then handing them each a bottle of water and settling himself between Aurora and Simmons. She nodded in thanks. 

"She's good," May said, and Aurora agreed. She was a natural. They listened as Skye excused herself from Zaghlul. 

_"I could get used to this, people,"_ Skye said. _"It's like Siri if it worked. Skipper to Bravo."_ Aurora closed her eyes at Skye's attempt at code names. _"I got eyes on Top Dog. The eagle is landing on it."_

Simmons looked at them in confusion and leaned closer to the table. "What are you doing?"

_"Uh, sorry, I-- I don't know. I see Quinn. I'm going to go talk to him."_

Seconds later, they heard Quinn's voice filter through the speaker, _"... Effect on the industrial average."_

Skye faked a laugh. _"Ian Quinn. I'm your last-minute party crasher. I'm Skye."_ Aurora held her breath.

_"Wow. Great to meet you. This is Skye, a member of The Rising Tide. They're a group of hackers. They've gotten some pretty big secrets out to the public."_

_"I prefer 'hacktivist,'"_ Skye said. _"I'm glad you've heard of our site."_

_"I read it. We think very much alike."_ Aurora could picture the expression on Ward's face and was suddenly glad that he wasn't here for this conversation. _"More freedom of information, less government infringing on everyone's rights-- I'm a fan."_

_"That explains the invite. This is a tough party to get into."_

_"Not as hard to get into as the encrypted backchannel you contacted us through to request the invite."_ Aurora's breath left her lungs sharply.

_"That's sort of where I live."_

_"You've got to show me how you did that-- I mean, if you sign on."_

_"Sign what, now?"_

_"I've been known to turn a few black hats into white hats. Not just for Vulnerability Analysis, but for very creative thinking."_

_"Are you offering me a job?"_ Skye asked. Aurora ignored the confused expression on the scientists' faces and shared a look with May, and for a second, she knew they both agreed on something. This just introduced a new, very dangerous, variable. Skye's loyalty to a team she's only just been made a part of versus the ideals she had been fighting for, for years. A dangerous choice Aurora knew well. Too well. She swallowed gravel and disgust at her hypocrisy as she hoped, for the sake of the team, Skye wouldn't choose the same option she had. 

_"Yes,"_ she heard Quinn respond, _"I want to hire you before someone else snatches you up."_

"That seemed to go well," May said, giving no indication of the concern Aurora knew she felt. 

_"Yeah, it did."_

⊗⊗⊗

The feelings of anticipation and build-up of nervous energy caused by sitting and waiting was something that Aurora was no longer phased by. Fitz and Simmons, it seemed, could not say the same. While she leaned casually against the doorframe, she watched as Simmons wrung her hands, and Fitz tapped his fingers against the table as they waited for Skye to enter Quinn's office.

_"It's locked, but there's no lock,"_ Skye said, her voice once again flowing through the speakers.

"Check for a keypad," Fitz said.

There was a moment of silence. _"Nothing. What, can you hack a keypad?"_

"No, not over the phone."

"Is there a reception desk?" May asked.

_"Okay, Yeah."_ Aurora could vaguely hear the sound of Skye's footsteps. _"Well, now what do I do?"_

Before May could respond, another voice came through the bus's speaker. _"What are you trying to do?"_ Aurora straightened her spine and moved closer to the table as the agents looked at each other tensely. _Ian Quinn_ , _well, that's not ideal._ Aurora watched May power-walk away as Skye's nervous laughter sounded through the room.

_"Just, ah, looking for a pen. Here we go. Got to write down all those good ideas, you know what I mean?"_ Aurora fought the urge to bury her head in her hands. _"Of course, you know what I mean. You probably have like ten pens for all your ideas."_

_"What are you really doing?"_

Skye wasn't stupid; Aurora knew this. Skye had proven that she was clever and able to think on her feet. But she was out of her element here. Gritting her teeth, Aurora made a snap decision, prodding the girl in the right direction.

"You can't lie," Aurora spoke quickly and quietly, keeping her eyes locked on the table and away from the other agents. "So manipulate the truth." There was another moment of silence, and Aurora held her breath. 

_"All right. I'm busted. I was trying to get a glimpse behind your office doors, see how things really operate."_ Aurora felt pride well up inside her but didn't release the breath.

_"I invite you here as a guest, and you treat me like another corrupt institution, looking for trade secrets to leak online. Secur--"_

_"No, no, no, wait."_ Aurora ran her tongue along her teeth. Come on Skye, use what you know. Manipulate him. _"It's just with all these la-di-da people; you have to be so guarded. So careful. What you say, what secrets you reveal. I was hoping that you and I could be honest with each other. If you know what I mean."_

Another pause. _"I think I do. Right this way."_ Then they heard a rustling sound, followed by a door opening. 

Aurora blocked out the rest of the conversation, running back through what Skye had said, repeating it like a broken record. What did she reveal? What had convinced Quinn to let her in? What had she said-- ' _What you say, what secrets you reveal'?_ Aurora's pride was replaced with a feeling of dread. Skye hadn't _said_ anything. Whatever she had revealed had been written, which could mean only a few things. She glanced at the two oblivious scientists. It looked like Skye would be making her choice sooner rather than later. 

Soon after, May returned and placed a laptop on the edge of the table, without looking up from the device she spoke. "Got the dispatch leaking Hall's location. User's an alias."

"Oh," Fitz started, "can you trace the DHCP server--"

"Trace is running, but it'll take time. Our girl?"

"I thought she was done for," Simmons said, "but she's just sweet-talked her way into Quinn's office." May's eyes darted to Aurora. She kept her mouth shut.

"How'd she manage that?"

"She probably just used her, um..." As Fitz spoke, he positioned his hands at his chest in a cupping motion. _Really?_ Aurora crossed her arms and shifted her weight. Stuttering, he glanced at the looks of disgust, disbelief, and unamusement on the female agents' faces and dropped his hands. ".... boobs." Aurora dropped her head. It was good to be reminded that even one of the brightest men in S.H.I.E.L.D. still had the ability to behave like a prepubescent teenage boy.

"Ugh, because that's the only explanation--" Before Simmons could finish her sarcastic sentence, the static that had been humming in the background cut out. "Oh, my gosh, the signal's dead. Fitz!"

"What-- I didn't. She must've." Once again, May's eyes met Aurora's. "Oh, Lord."

Without hesitating, May radioed into Coulson's and Ward's comms. "Skye's offline. We've lost audio and vitals." Although Aurora was sure May was trying to mask it, Aurora could read the growing uncertainty in the agent's eyes as she spoke.

_"Guys, the clock's ticking,"_ said Coulson, _"Where's Skye?"_

The minutes passed by like molasses as the team waited. Fitz and Simmons filled the time by fiddling nervously, May drilled a hole into the screen with her eyes, and Aurora found herself leaning against the doorway again. The tense silence was finally broken by the screen on the table beeping. Aurora let out a steady breath through her nose, and she fought down her relieved smile. _Skye chose the team._

"We're in!"

"She's done it!"

"Fitz, you're up," May said.

"Oh, mother of all things," Fitz exclaimed, running to the table and pushing Agent May out of the way, tapping rapidly on the screen.

_"We need a reset here, Fitz,"_ Coulson said through the speakers. But Fitz didn't bother to respond, putting all of his attention on what he was doing. _"Fitz!"_

"Saying his name repeatedly does not increase productivity!" Simmons said.

Right as she finished her sentence, Fitz said, "Okay, go," and a countdown for the reset appeared on the screen. Three seconds. That's all the time the agents had to cross the boundary. Three seconds. 

"Or, maybe it does," the female scientist amended.

"System rebooting in two, one, now!" Fitz said, warning the agents in the field. The four agents waited in bated breath for an update.

_"We're in,"_ Coulson said, and everyone, except Aurora, physically sagged in relief. It was over. Now, it was up to the agents in the field; there was nothing more they could do. 

⊗⊗⊗

Well, nothing more May or Aurora could do. Less than fifteen minutes after everyone breathed out a sigh of relief, May's trace on the person leaking Hall's location came through. As it turns out, Hall was the one leaking it, resulting in a slight hitch in the agents' plans. Irritation formed in the pit of Aurora's stomach at the news. They had wasted their time trying to help a man who didn't want or need their help. Skye had risked her life for _no reason_. Coulson and Ward had broken international laws for no reason. Her neutral feelings towards Hall transformed into active dislike, and for a split second, she wished she had been the one to go into the field.

Aurora followed Fitz and Simmons down to the lab, while May informed Coulson of the source of the leak. She watched the two scientists bounce between computers and soon enough May joined them, speaking both to Coulson and the team.

"We're aware of the problem, sir. Hall wanted Quinn to kidnap him?"

"Yeah," Fitz said, "Why would he do that?"

"What is wrong with him?" Simmons said.

_"Quinn built a gravity generator,"_ Coulson said. _"Like the one we found but bigger. Hall knew Quinn would need him to control its raw power, but Hall just wanted to unleash it."_

"The one we found was 2.5 centimeters in diameter," Simmons said. "It stopped a semi. How big are we talking?"

_"Twelve feet_. _It'll definitely take down the entire compound."_ Aurora watched Fitz and Simmons shoot each other a look, and then they spoke at the same time.

"It'll sink the place."

"No, it'll do more than that."

_"Work a solution,"_ Coulson ordered. _"I'll disconnect the power before things get... crazy."_

They could hear Coulson attempting to talk Hall out of activating the machine, unsuccessfully it seemed, and Aurora walked over to the screen on the wall. She tapped on the keyboard, pulling up the blueprints for the compound. Two yellow dots appeared, representing the location of the two combat agents. May joined her, leaning against the Holotable. 

_"This place is massive,"_ Ward's voice rose above that of Coulson's. _"Where am I heading?"_

"Southwest corner," May said, her eyes moving around the map. "Ward, tell me you've got things covered on the ground. I can't do a damn thing from out here."

_"I'm working on it."_ Aurora looked at May, her hands crossed on her chest, a divot in her cheeks, indicating her clenched jaw, she hated being on the bench.

Aurora took a few steps and perched herself on one of the metal work tables, leaning back on her hands. She ran her tongue along her teeth.

_"I have Skye,"_ Ward said, a few minutes later. _"We're working our way to Coulson."_

"Good," May said simply.

"How are you so calm?" Fitz asked, looking at her from where he sat by the computer.

Aurora fought back a shrug. "There's nothing we can do here." _There's no point in panicking_. He opened his mouth to say something, but Coulson cut him off.

_"Fitz-Simmons, I tried to cut the power, but it's still going."_ The scientists answered him at the same time.

"Find a catalyst."

"You need to find a catalyst. Something to create a chemical reaction in the core."

_"It's not too late to do the right thing,"_ they heard Coulson say to Hall. _"Help me find a catalyst--"_

Hall's reply was muffled by the sounds of chaos in the background, but it wasn't looking good. They heard gunshots and then nothing.

_"Hall's dead,"_ Coulson said simply, and the team looked at each other.

"And the machine?" May asked, her voice level.

_"Stable. We're gonna make our way back."_

⊗⊗⊗

Hours had passed since the team had returned. Fitz and Simmons had retired to the lounge and, the last Aurora had seen, fighting over what board game they were going to play that night. May had followed Coulson like a shadow as he reported the mission and the machine to HQ. Aurora had made her way to the ramp, planning on finishing the workout she had started that morning. When she arrived, however, she saw Skye fighting to set up the bus's punching bag. Aurora watched her struggle for a moment; then, without speaking, moved to help the girl. Silently, they worked together to hang up the bag. 

"Thanks," Skye said softly, and Aurora nodded in reply. Stepping back, she took a spot on the floor and began her push-ups.

Aurora didn't know how long they worked out like this. The only sound filling the ramp was that of Skye's punches and Aurora's steady breathing. As she finished the last set of her leg lifts, she let her body relax against the cold metal of the floor, cooling her skin. She turned her head to look at Skye, who had also built up 1a sweat but was still punching diligently. The sound of footsteps took her attention away. 

Ward was standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against the railing, and was gazing at Skye with a sense of pride. Slowly sitting up, she passed by Skye and made her way up the spiral staircase. She paused on the landing. Glancing over her shoulder, knowing Skye could hear her, she spoke. Her voice low and level.

"She's good."

Without waiting for a reply, she left and made her way to the lounge curious to see which scientist won. 

Word Count: 5,691


	4. Chapter Four

Aurora lent against one of the worktables in the lab. As she spent more time with the team, she found herself in this position and positions like it more often than not. Despite Fitz and Simmons's unwavering and unquestioning loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D., their lack of suits made her feel more at ease in their presence. Plus, their intelligence made for conversations that went right over Aurora's head, creating excellent background noise.

She noticed that Skye also spent a good amount of time in the lab when she wasn't cooped up in her hiding spot in the S.U.V parked on the ramp. Ward and May spent the least amount of time in the lab, as May avoided contact with everyone except for Coulson and Ward only showed up when he needed new gear. He was always more fidgety in the lab and watching the ever-confident man be thrown off kilter never failed to be entertaining.

"I only get one shot," the man said, holding up one of Fitz's modified bullets. "And it has to knock a person back, as well as out."

"Which is why we're perfecting this little beauty," Fitz said, holding up what looked to be a handgun version of the weapon she had used to shoot Mike Peterson with. "It's a .45 caliber cartridge, semi-automatic. Each mag," he loaded the magazine, and a blue light appeared on the barrel, "contains eight therapeutic rounds of Dendrotoxin."

"In case you miss!" Simmons said, turning away from her microscope. Ward shot her a look over his shoulder. "Or have multiple assailants."

Fitz pulled the gun closer to his chest, when Ward reached out to take it from his hands. "Yeah, we're gonna have this new Night-Night pistol working in no time. Okay?"

"Great," Ward said. "One thing, we're not calling it that." With that, the man exited the lab.

"Ah, told you," Simmons said, playfully smirking at Fitz.

"Yes, we-- yes, we are." Then Fitz looked to Aurora, searching for the other combat agent's opinion.

Aurora agreed with Ward, calling a paralyzing weapon a 'Night-Night' gun seemed too childish. But when she saw Fitz's wide, hopeful eyes and excited expression, all she could say was, "You made it, you name it." A tinge of pink flooded his cheeks, and he nodded firmly, looking almost smugly at Simmons.

"See, Audi gets it."

"Audi?"

The two scientists stiffened and shared an almost panicked look, and Simmons abruptly turned back to her microscope, clearly leaving Fitz to dig himself out of the hole.

"Um- it's just- well, your name," Aurora raised her eyebrows. "It's just your last name's kinda long, and, more, uh, formal than Ward or May's, so you know, we shortened it." Simmons' let out a pointed cough, and Fitz rubbed the back of his neck. "I, I shortened it."

She knew the agents meant well, and a small part of her was flattered. It had been years since anyone had given her a complimentary nickname (she knew well enough that 'the Angel' was not meant to be flattering). But the rest of her was irritated, angry almost, at the butchering of her name. Auditore was a beautiful Italian name. It was a name of power. It was her _Father's_. It was a name that, to anyone that knew anything about her world, meant honor, loyalty, _Royalty_. It was a name that made her stand up straighter and hold her head high. One of the few things, the only thing, she had been allowed to keep when she 'joined' S.H.I.E.L.D. 

And she would not share a nickname with a _car_.

Slowly, she pushed herself off the table.

"If you want something less formal, call me Aurora, not Audi." She made sure to keep the anger off her tongue. She felt an odd, unfamiliar, feeling build in her gut at the sound of her first name. At the mere idea that someone would call her that again. That there were people in her life that maybe, perhaps, _wanted_ , to call her that. A layer of sweat built on her palms as she watched Fitz swallow. 

"Aurora," he repeated, forcing a smile. Aurora suddenly found it hard to swallow herself as his accent wound itself around her name. "Got it." 

She nodded and left the lab, that feeling still swirling inside.

⊗⊗⊗

Once they had landed in Sweden, Coulson, May, and Skye departed from the bus to look around the robbery's location. According to the quick debrief from Coulson, 25 military men had dressed in identical outfits, with identical briefcases, in order to transport diamonds to a secure location. But, while the men were on route, someone had managed to steal them.

It was a rather impressive feat. Especially because it had been accomplished by one woman with her eyes closed. Literally.

Aurora was waiting for the agents in Coulson's office when they returned. Skye connected her phone to the screen on the wall and images of the incident began cycling through.

"It's amazing," Coulson said, watching. "Every year, this part of our job gets easier."

"And makes mine harder," Aurora muttered, crossing her arms. Between her and Romanoff, they practically owned a wig and Sephora store in their attempts to stay under the growing social media radar. She ignored the questioning look Skye shot her.

"Between Facebook, Instagram, and Flicker," the man continued, "People are surveilling themselves."

"With many filters to choose from," Skye said. "I could do this pretty well when I was hacking for the Rising Tide, but you guys tag and search in ways the rest of us never dreamed of."

"I can run facial-recognition software on the photos, and cross-reference them with our criminal databases." As May spoke, a frown appeared on Coulson's face.

"You don't have to." He zoomed in on the image of a woman's face so it filled up most of the screen. "That's the thief. Her name's Akela Amador."

"You're certain?"

"I should be. I trained her." He picked up a tablet, tapped a few keys, and the image of Amador disappeared from the screen. The man heaved a sigh and marched out of the office, May following behind obediently. Skye gave Aurora another look and gestured to the door.

"What? Do we just follow him now?"

Aurora rubbed her eyes and nodded, exhausted by the dramatics of the men on the bus. "We follow him now."

When they caught up to the other agents, Coulson started talking again.

"She was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Seven years ago, Amador led a raid on one of the Vanchat's Gulags. Everyone believed that she and the two other agents on the mission were killed. I had my doubts. So I sent in a second team, just in case. They found a lot of carnage, but couldn't confirm that any of it was Amador-- left the possibility open."

"That's why you chose this op--" May said, almost accusatory. "When you heard about the heists."

"There are only a few women in the world who could pull off something so impossible," he looked between May and Aurora. "Since the two of you are on the bus, and Romanoff's on a mission with Cap, I thought it had to be her."

To punctuate his sentence, he turned and walked into the debriefing room where Ward was waiting for them. He had pulled as much information on Amador and her involvement as he could find and had displayed it on the screen.

"Swedish customs confirmed that Amador left the country using an alias on a Swedish passport," Ward said. "She flew into Belarus, bought a train ticket to a town called Zloda. I've also put together a list of individuals who could fence that many diamonds. But there's been no contact or activity."

"Maybe she's saving them for a rainy day," Coulson said, "buying something special. Let's focus on finding Amador."

"I'll let HQ know she's alive," May said, "so they can assist with the manhunt."

"I'd like to hold off on that," he paused, looking at the agents. _So maybe he **could** think outside of his suit. _"Until we know more. Contact Belarus authorities. Find us a place to park the bus." He looked at Ward and Aurora, "Put together a list of inns, hotels, and pensions near Zloda. There can't be that many of them. We'll find her." Turning to the screen, he silently dismissed them. She and Ward walked out together, ready to carry out Coulson's order.

⊗⊗⊗

Between the two of them, it only took a few hours to track down a few of the possible hotels Amador could be residing in. The team, minus May, who had stayed in the bus to handle HQ, had packed themselves into a small white van and made their way to the location. Ward had taken the driver seat, and Coulson had made a point of calling shotgun, so the other's piled into the back. 

"How exciting," Simmons said, clutching her case to her chest. "I've dreamed of visiting Zloda since I was a schoolgirl." _Really? Zloda?_ Fitz seemed to share the sentiment. 

"Zloda, Belarus? A dream come true? Really?"

"It's the birthplace of Nobel Physicist Zhores Alferov," Simmons defended. "I mean, technically, he's from Vitebsk, but that's less than an hour from here, and I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't know that."

"Well, no, of course I know who that is, father of Heterostructure Transistors, thank you very much." Aurora bit her tongue to prevent herself from asking exactly what Heterostructure Transistors were. "We're all well aware of that. I'm just a little bit preoccupied. Our first and only other time in the field wasn't exactly a picnic, was it?"

"You guys are only here to search for Amador electronically," Coulson said, turning to face the non-combat agents. "You won't even need to leave the van."

 _"Bus to Short Bus,"_ May said, her voice transmitting through the agent's comms.

"Go for Short Bus," Ward replied, and the corners of Aurora's mouth turned up slightly.

"Next time, I'll decide what we call ourselves, okay?" Coulson said with mild amusement.

_"HQ has requested a status update."_

"What'd you tell them?"

_"That we're tracking a potential suspect-- nothing more."_

"I owe you one."

_"More like three."_

When they came to a stop on the side of the road near the town, Coulson turned in his seat to look at the agents.

"If Amador's here," he said, "she'll have to contact her buyer. Scan for cellphone transmissions, encrypted e-mails, anomalous broadcast signatures. Call us if you find anything that indicates her presence." Then he exited the car.

"Maintain radio silence unless you really need help," Ward added, stepping out.

"Well, what exactly defines needing help?" Fitz asked, his panicked eyes finding Aurora's as Ward slammed his door shut.

Not answering, Aurora climbed over the console and into the front seat, sliding out of the door Coulson had left open. As her combat boots sunk into the grass, she paused. The first time Aurora had been left alone on a mission, she had been terrified. She remembered the untapped energy that circulated through her body. How she had flinched at every noise and every shadow as she waited. However, they, unlike her, were not alone. They had each other. But they were still wildly out of their element, and she knew that. So, slowly, she turned and poked her head back into the van. She focused on the metal paneling above Skye's head to avoid the feeling of her throat closing up.

"Ward sneaked a sleeve of crackers in the glove compartment," she said, manipulating the truth only slightly. Before they could ask any questions, she quietly closed the door behind her. 

⊗⊗⊗

Walking down the old cobblestone streets, the agents stood out like sore thumbs. Between Aurora in her black leather jacket, jeans, and combat boots and Ward and Coulson in their suits, it was clear they didn't belong. She watched the townspeople glance at them as they went about their days and knew that, even without Amador's connection to Coulson, one look at them and she would know who they were. She hated it.

She also hated Ward's inability to be quiet.

"I can only imagine how painful this must be for you, sir--" he said after managing a full minute of silence (Aurora had counted), "betrayed by someone you trained and believed in."

"We don't have all the facts yet," Coulson said.

"True, but I have to assume the worst-- that Amador sold out the other two agents on her mission." Walking behind them slightly, Aurora rolled her eyes. Right, because the practices of blackmail, extortion, and manipulation didn't exist in Ward's world. "Wonder what she got in exchange."

"I don't know, but until we do, I'm not gonna assume anything," Coulson said, walking away. 

The next few minutes were painful for Aurora, as they walked around the town, showing pictures of Amador to the townspeople blatantly looking for information on the woman. Finally, their search was interrupted as Ward's phone rang.

"Did you locate Amador?" he asked, then after a moment, mouthed the word _Skye_ to them. "Do you think Amador might be communicating on that signal?" Ward paused again, then looked at Coulson and Aurora, pure annoyance on his face. "You broke protocol because you need a bathroom break?" Another pause. "There's a container at the bottom of the blue chest." Ward provided another look of annoyance. "Agent Coulson, Agent Auditore, and I are trying to find a dangerous criminal. If there's nothing else pressing..." Then the man pulled the phone from his ear, looked at it, and hung up. For a second Aurora thought she heard the man mumble the word 'crackers' in a disgusted tone.

After asking a few more people, the three agents made their way to a local business, where they were met by the woman working at the front desk.

"Dobry den," Coulson greeted.

"Good afternoon."

"I'm Agent Coulson, this is Agent Ward and Agent Auditore. We're looking for this young woman." Like he had with the others, he pulled the picture of her out of his pocket.

"Oh, she's my angel," the woman said, and Aurora masked her flinch at the name.

"Why do you say that?" Ward asked.

"She has gift-- knows things. She told me to go to the doctor. He found a tumor, I'm having surgery next week. This girl saved me." The agents looked at each other, confusion clear on their faces.

"It's very important that we talk with her," Coulson said. 

"With her gift, I'm sure she knows you're coming," the woman said. Aurora's mind flashed to the three unprotected, untrained, unprepared agents in the van, _not good._

Without waiting for Coulson to dismiss them, Aurora turned and retraced her steps back to where they had parked. She heard Coulson wish the woman a good day and then the sound of two sets of footsteps following her.

When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of their van tipped off the road and upside down in the ditch, a large dent in its side. As well as three very shaken up agents huddled together, speaking in hushed tones. But when they saw the three combat agents relief flooded their faces. 

⊗⊗⊗

May was waiting for them on the bus, standing on the landing, looking down on them as they walked up the ramp. Aurora watched as Ward followed Coulson up the stairs, no doubt to complain about something. Rather than bear witness to it, Aurora went into the lab with Fitz, Simmons, and Skye. Nobody spoke, and Aurora sat down at one of the desks, analyzing the others. It was clear that Fitz and Simmons were still shaken by the experience as they fiddled with their gadgets and looked distractedly around the room. Skye, however, seemed to have a new fire burning inside her as she shed her flannel and strode to the computer.

"What are you doing," Simmons asked quietly, walking towards the hacker.

Skye didn't even look up. "If I can recover the data signature of the encrypted broadcast--"

"Then you can see what she sees," Fitz finished. "Brilliant." After a moment or two, Skye nodded decidedly and left the room. 

"She's a smart cookie, isn't she?" Simmons said, staring in the direction of where Skye had left. Aurora and Fitz hummed in agreement.

When Skye returned, Coulson, May, and Ward were right behind her. As she repositioned at the computer, she spoke.

"Something's wrong. It's the same feed that was watching us in the van. Uh, put it on the big monitor."

"Maybe the lens broke when the van rammed us," Simmons suggested, as Fitz complied to Skye's request.

"I hope she broke more than that."

The team watched the feed in silence. Then the fogginess on screen was wiped away by a hand, revealing the image of a face. _Amador's face_. Is that a mirror? _Are we seeing what she's seeing?_

"It's a mirror," Coulson confirmed. "Are we recording this?" 

"We are now," Skye said, pressing a button on her tablet.

"How are we seeing this? Where's the camera?"

They watched as the angle changed, and Amador's hand picked up a long, sharp metal tool and shoved it into where her eye should be, blocking the view of the camera in the process. _Holy shit._ Fitz flinched and looked away.

"She's the camera," Aurora said aloud.

May nodded. "It's in her eye."

"It switches to backscatter when she closes her eyes," Fitz said.

"That's how she found the diamonds," Aurora added, and he pointed at her in acknowledgment. 

"You're a robot. Can you do that?" Skye said to Ward, who ignored her. Aurora fought back a smile.

"Who has tech like this?"

"We don't-- not like this," Fitz said. "Not this small and internal. That's at least a decade ahead of anything I've seen." _Yay S.H.I.E.L.D., go team!_ "Though, now that I've seen it, I could maybe approximate it-- the backscatter x-ray, a micro-transceiver that somehow doesn't fry her brain, and internal power source..."

"All miniaturized," Simmons added. "Honestly, it's genius."

"We have to bring her in," Coulson said.

"We have to take her out," May argued. "She's a weapon." _So are you,_ Aurora thought, _so am I._ "I'll call HQ, see if we can bring a task force in to help us."

"Our team can handle this," Coulson said firmly. _I hate it when mom and dad fight_. Without hesitating, she, Fitz, and Simmons took a step back and allowed May to pass by on her way to Coulson.

"I get it," she said, and Aurora looked away to give May and Coulson some privacy. "You feel responsible-- maybe you pushed her too hard. But she tried to kill three members of our team."

"If she wanted us dead, we'd be dead."

"We got lucky. You want to risk our lives again?"

"You told me you were ready for combat, that you had my back," Coulson said.

"Don't ever doubt it," May said. "But you are defending this girl at the expense of the team."

"Because we protect our own."

"With all due respect, sir," Ward said, butting into the argument, "she's not one of our own."

"Guys," Skye said, bringing the team's attention back to the feed where Amador's hand was now writing 'can I sleep?' on a pad of paper.

"Why does she have to ask for permission?" Simmons asked. Before anyone could answer, the words 'stand by' appeared on the screen.

"She's not being watched," Coulson said, "She's being controlled. We have to find her." _May, 0; Coulson, 1._ "We'll take shifts watching the feed. Sooner or later, she'll look at something that will clue us into her location."

"I'll take the first watch," May said. 

⊗⊗⊗

_* T.W.: Implied Child Abuse*_

_*Skip to End of Italics*_

_Darkness surrounded her like a void. She could hear the creaking of the fluorescent lights as they swung back and forth and the sound of water flowing through the pipes in the cement walls. She could feel the cold metal bars of her bed digging into her spine and the cold metal of the handcuffs, closed too tightly around her wrist. Steel rattled against steel when she tried to pull her arm into her chest._ _Bile rose in her throat as a sliver of light began to seep into the room._

_She hated the darkness of the night. Hated the solitude._

_She heard the sound of heels clicking against the floor in the hallway. She rattled her cuff again, wincing at the noise._

_But the_ _solitude_ _of the night was better than the light of the day._

_Aurora dug her face under her arm, clenching her eyes closed. Slowly the door to her room groaned open. The clicking of the heels stopped directly in front of her. There was a release of pressure as the cuff fell off, but she didn't dare move.  
_

_She could almost feel Mother roll her eyes._

_"Get up."_

_Aurora didn't move._

_"I know you're awake. Get up."_

"Auditore"

_Mother's cold hand wrapped itself around her upper arm, and Aurora whimpered._

_"Pathetic."_

"Auditore, wake up."

_The cold hand yanked her just as another, warmer hand, gently touched her shoulder._

In a swift movement, she thrust the knife out from under her pillow: her chest heaving unsteadily, blood pumping in her ears.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey," a male's voice called out panicked. "It's me, _Aurora._ It's Fitz."

Blinking slowly, the world came back into focus and her cold dark room faded away. A man was illuminated in her doorway. Her breathing slowed. She blinked again and looked around the room. She was in her bunk at S.H.I.E.L.D. Her chest contrasted. _She was holding a knife to Leo's throat. Oh God._ Steadily, she retracted her arm, sliding the knife back where it belonged. Leo's body sagged in relief, and one of his hands came up to clutch his neck. She swallowed down guilt. Sitting up, she pushed a rogue hair out of her face and turned to her clock. One AM. She cleared her throat.

"What's wrong?" _Other than the fact I almost killed you._ "Is it my shift?"

"May went after Amador," his voice was scratchy and still held a hint of fear. She swallowed again. "Coulson went after May. He told me to wake everyone up, they're down in the lab already."

Nodding, she stood up and fixed her braid, making a point to look anywhere but where Fitz was. She could feel his gaze on her, his uncertainty. She was surprised he hadn't fled from her yet.

"I have to change," she said quietly.

"Right! Yes, okay." He nodded jerkily, shot her a thumbs up, and stepped out of her pod, closing the door behind him.

It didn't take long to change out of her sleep clothes and into her workout gear. When she opened the door, Fitz surprised her again. He was leaning against one of the wooden polls waiting for her. He gave her a kind, somewhat tentative, smile. She took a step forward, and as she passed by, she lightly grasped his wrist. She ignored the feeling of discomfort at the warmth of his skin and his flinch at her touch. Looking down at a particularly interesting part of the carpet, she spoke quietly. 

"I'm sorry." 

Letting go, she headed down to the lab, joining the others. Fitz's feet padded behind her. 

⊗⊗⊗

When May and Coulson returned to the bus, Amador was with them. As they carried the unconscious woman to one of the holding rooms, Aurora spotted a splash of blue peeking out from under the collar of Amador's shirt and weaving up the woman's neck. One by one, the agents moved towards the Holotable, waiting for Coulson's debrief. Aurora took her place between Ward and Skye, as far away from Fitz as she could manage. She was saved from Fitz's concerned expression when Coulson and May entered the lab, and he broke his gaze.

Immediately Coulson took his pace in front of the team, his back to the monitor, while May lingered in the background. Aurora noted that, for the first time, the agent looked unsure. It was unsettling. 

"As you saw," Coulson started, "we succeeded in bringing in Amador. She was shot with one of Fitz's modified Night-Night bullets."

"I'm still working on perfecting it," Fitz said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Which means she'll only be unconscious for a few hours."

"Which also means we only have a few hours to trick whosever controlling her into thinking that she hasn't been found out."

"I could reroute the feed somewhere else," Skye suggested, glancing around at the team.

Fitz shared a look with Simmons and broke away from the group, rummaging through one of the storage crates. After a second, he pulled out a case and carefully placed it on the table. Simmons opened it and pulled out a pair of glasses.

"The lenses have been replaced with," she paused, her eyes darting to each agent "well, in layman's terms, a clear screen." She turned the glasses around and tapped on their edge, "And right here is a place for input so the monitor can display text, images, and the like."

"Perfect, I can reroute the feed to Fitz-Simmons teched-out glasses--"

"And someone else can carry out Amador's orders," Ward interrupted. "Then they'll have no idea that she's here."

"The only problem is it will take more than a few hours to go wireless," Skye said. 

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Coulson said. "First step is to reroute the feed. Ward, you'll be wearing the glasses, be ready to move as soon as we intercept the first order. You too Skye." He turned to the scientists. "Fitz-Simmons, you two start working on a way to deactivate the kill switch in her eye before the person watching her realizes something's wrong."

"Yes, sir."

"We're on it."

"May, Auditore, work on tracing the feed. I want to know who's watching her and from where." Then he looked around the room, making eye contact with each agent. He nodded, and the agents scattered.

Day was breaking when Skye and Ward left the bus, a cord still connected from Skye's computer to Ward's glasses, to fulfill Amador's instructions. After seeing them off, May and Aurora wandered back to the debriefing room. Without speaking, Aurora pulled up the camera to the holding room the unconscious woman and Coulson were in as May worked on tracking down the handler. Aurora turned, with the intention of asking May how long she thought it would take, but before she could open her mouth the older agent was speaking, not even looking up from the keyboard.

"I've got this handled, go see if Fitz-Simmons need any help." Aurora gritted her teeth at the casual dismissal. _As if she could help Fitz and Simmons in any way._

"Coulson said--"

"It only takes one person to perform the trace. Go help Fitz-Simmons."

Narrowing her eyes, Aurora looked at the agent. May's shoulders were tensed, and her back was arched inward as she almost curled around the keyboard. Aurora thought back to May's silence and how she had separated herself from the rest of the team. Not bothering to give the agent a response, she turned and walked away, leaving May to lick her wounds in solitude. 

Besides, Fitz and Simmons didn't need her, but the punching bag was calling her name. 

⊗⊗⊗

Her arms and legs were aching when Simmons pulled Aurora from her work out to tell her that Amador had woken up. They had also pulled up the camera's feed and were projecting it on the monitor. Aurora sat down on one of the tables to watch, as Fitz and Simmons finished up their plan for deactivation. 

_"We hijacked your feed,"_ Coulson explained, his voice coming through the speaker. _"One of my agents is wearing a set of glasses mimicking your implant. Right now, it's transmitting his point of view as if it was yours. It even has backscattering imaging."_

 _"I get messages from my handler,"_ Amador said, curled in on herself and still not looking at Coulson.

 _"We're receiving those as well. My agent's on his way to the Todorov building-- completing your mission while we disable the fail-safe in your eye."_ Aurora turned to look at Fitz and Simmons, both still hard at work. _"I promise. They can't see you. You're okay, Akela. Look at me."_ Tentatively, the woman turned to look at Coulson, and Aurora could only imagine the relief she was feeling. The freedom.

 _"How long have they been monitoring you?"_ Coulson asked.

 _"Years."_ Aurora felt a pang in her chest at the single word, and she heard Simmons let out a noise of sympathy. _"Why are you doing this, Coulson?"_

_"I need to know why a Prox card is worth thirty million dollars--_

 _"No,"_ Amador interrupted. _"Why are you doing_ ** _this_** _? Why are you helping me?"_ Because he's a good man, Aurora thought suddenly. The truth of this made it hard to swallow. _"Where's the 'I told you so'?"_

 _"That's not me anymore,"_ Coulson all but whispered, emotion full in his voice. _"I'm just glad you're alive."_

_"Vanchat would never have caught us if I'd just done my job. I should have listened to you, trusted my team the way you insisted. If I had... they might still be alive."_

"Aurora, can I ask you something?" Fitz said, and Aurora turned from the screen as Coulson disappeared to get Amador food and water. The male scientist had moved to stand next to her. 

Aurora hummed hesitantly. _Don't ask about the dream. Don't ask about the dream._

Fitz opened and closed his mouth, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he looked over his shoulder to Simmons, who rolled her eyes.

"Well, we asked Ward about the crackers in the van," Simmons said, and Aurora let out an unnoticeable breath of relief which was immediately replaced with embarrassment, "and he seemed to have no idea what we were talking about." 

She resisted rubbing her own neck, as Aurora thought back to how she had snuck the crackers into the van when no one was looking, _just in case_. 

"Interesting," Aurora said calmly, ignoring the amused expression on Simmons' face and the sheepish one on Fitz's. "How much longer until you can disable the kill switch?"

"Not that much longer," Simmons answered. She patted Fitz on the arm, and both scientists went back to work. 

_"Woke up in some half-assed triage bay,"_ Amador was saying. _"Blind in one eye. Spent the next four years alone in a cage."_ Aurora subconsciously rubbed the inside of her wrist, where the cold metal of handcuffs used to reside nightly.

_"We looked for you. Heard rumors you'd been taken to Shanxi Province."_

_"When a team finally came, I thought it was S.H.I.E.L.D. at first, but--_

_"Who were they?"_ Coulson interrupted.

_"Don't know, even to this day, but they were organized. They took me to a clinic. I had multiple surgeries. Until one day, I could see out of both eyes again. I was so grateful, until I realized what they'd done."_

_"Somebody was watching."_

_"My every move. I had no idea until they sent the first message. Then the assignments started. Mostly it was 'steal this,' 'follow him,' 'break into there.' I just tried to ignore them, but when I did, I'd get this pain, like an electric migraine."_

"Poor woman," Simmons muttered, wiping down the Holotable and staring at the monitor, "I can't even imagine what she went through." Aurora hummed. Throwing away the wipe, Simmons turned toward the others. "Should we let Coulson know we're ready for the procedure?"

"Not yet," Aurora said. "Let Coulson get information about Amador's handler first." _Just in case something goes wrong._

So they waited; watched as Coulson and Amador deduced information from minuscule details. Their nationality, age, all based on word choice and typing ability. After determining the man watching over Amador was older, English, and potentially heavyset, Simmons radioed to Coulson, and Skye, letting them know they were ready.

⊗⊗⊗

"Ward's on-site," Coulson told them, as they waited for Amador to settle herself for the surgery, "So we don't have much time."

"To remove her eyeball," Fitz said. Aurora bit her tongue, keeping herself from asking if technically it was a camera.

"Yeah," Simmons added, "Ocular surgery is not really my field of expertise."

"We've got no other choice," Coulson said. "There's a kill switch inside Akela. Could be a poison, could be an explosive. Either way, if Ward's caught, they'll kill her instantly." With that he made to turn on his heel.

"Where are you going, sir?"

"To find out whose finger's on the trigger," he said over his shoulder. 

The two scientists looked at each other, still obviously concerned. Feeling out of place, and frankly unnecessary, Aurora took a step back towards the door. 

"You're welcome to stay," Simmons said. "As long as you're careful about what you touch." Fighting down her discomfort, Aurora nodded, keeping her face neutral.

While Simmons and Fitz dawned headlamps and gloves, Aurora kept to the side just watching them. 

"I may need your feedback during the operation," Simmons said, leaning over Amador, "which means I have to inject a local anesthetic into your eye rather than putting you under." 

"Whatever's necessary," Amador said simply.

"Right," Simmons said, her eyes wide. "Let's begin, then." She reached over and picked up a syringe off of the small metal table accompanying her. Disgust built on Fitz's face as she held it above the woman. Sensing her hesitance, and seeing her shaking arm, Amador's eyes flickered to Aurora and she gave a minuscule nod. Aurora took a step forward and clasped her hand gently around Simmons' arm, focusing on her breathing and not the physical contact. The scientist looked at her and nodded. Slowly, Aurora guided Simmons, helping her insert it into Amador's eye. As Simmons' released the local anesthetic, Aurora released her hand, and Fitz flinched, looking away and biting down hard on his lip. 

Hesitance gone from Simmons; the woman worked diligently. Every once and a while, she gently explained what she was doing to Amador, although the explanations seemed to be more for herself than anyone else. Aurora listened intently to the woman's words, following along rather well (if she said so herself) while Fitz continued to look pointedly away, wincing periodically.

"Please tell me it's out already," Fitz said, neck practically disappearing as his head sunk into his shoulders.

Simmons shared a look with Aurora, then spoke. "It's mostly out."

"What's wrong?" Amador asked.

"Nothing," Simmons answered quickly. Then she lifted the eye out if its socket, still connected by a wire. "But Dr. Fitzy needs to step in now. This is his area of expertise, not mine. Fitz." Walking around Aurora, Fitz joined Simmons, taking hold of the medical equipment.

"All right, then," he said. "Most likely, the power source and the kill switch are located within the eye itself. So, how to disconnect without triggering the kill switch?" He paused, and Simmons moved her light. "Oh. I know what to do. Um. I just need to clarify one thing. Aurora, could you call Agent Ward, please." 

She gave a concise nod and pulled her phone out of her back pocket, dialing Ward. He answered on the third ring, his voice filling their comms.

"Ward," Fitz said.

_"What?"_

"You sound winded. Is this a bad time?"

 _"Little bit,"_ Ward said, and Aurora could almost see him rolling his eyes.

"Well, not so good for me either, considering I'm holding a still attached prosthetic eye. That could explode at any second." Aurora noted that his accent got stronger with each word.

 _"Are the wires exposed or shielded?"_ There was a pause, and Fitz opened his mouth when Ward spoke over him, panicked. _"Cut it now. Cut the wires NOW!"_

"What's happening?" Amador asked.

"Oh, no problem," Fitz said, picking up a pair of surgical scissors. "Ward explained the sitch." With one snip, he cut the wire and swiftly dropped the eye into a metal container. Simmons' slammed down the lid, just as the eye exploded. Releasing it, a billow of smoke escaped, filling the room with an unpleasant burnt smell. 

⊗⊗⊗

Amador was resting in the lab, as the team converged in the debriefing room. Similarly to their positioning that morning, Coulson stood directly in front of the screen, facing the team. He gestured vaguely to the geological map displayed behind him.

"We narrowed down the location of Amador's handler," he started, "to a twenty-meter radius inside of Victory Square. However, when I got to him, the kill switch in his head was activated."

"Someone else was controlling him," Skye said, leaning forward.

"Yes, he was a former MI6 officer. Fell off the grid a few years ago."

"So how deep does this chain go?" Ward asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"No way of knowing, the trail died with him," Coulson said.

"What about what was written on the chalkboard? What does it mean?"

"The higher-ups are still working on figuring that out. So far, some people think it might be Alien," Coulson answered.

"Sir, what will happen to Amador?" Simmons asked, wringing her hands in front of her waist. Aurora felt herself perk up slightly at the question.

Coulson glanced at May for a moment. "S.H.I.E.L.D. agents direct from HQ are coming to pick her up now." He looked at each agent. "She'll get a fair trial. I will be testifying." A beat of silence, and then he lightly tapped the table. "I'll go check up on Akela. Good job today."

The team dispersed, and Aurora made her way to her bunk, shutting the door gently behind her. Putting her back against it she slid down to the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she dropped her head between her knees, relieved to be alone. 

Word Count: 6,339


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In honor of the AoS series finale tonight, here's an early update!
> 
> I remember watching the pilot episode live on TV with my family as a freshman in high school, now, almost 7 years later (and two weeks before I enter my senior year of college) I will watch the ending live. Thank you #CoulsonLive

Aurora's eyes bore into the small burner phone that rested on her bedside table as she mindlessly watered her potted Devil's Ivy. For what felt like the hundredth time, she ran her tongue along her teeth. Less than 24 hours. She told herself that it was the anticipation of doing something forbidden right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose that caused nervous energy to collect in her bones. Feet away, behind her closed door, she could hear the voices of Skye and Ward as they played yet another round of Battleship. It made the hair on the back of her neck rise. Ward, a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. dog, only steps away from something that could get her thrown into a cell to rot the rest of her life away. Unknowingly, her hand migrated to the leaves of her plant, stroking them lightly. 

Suddenly, an alarm sounded throughout the bus signaling a new assignment for the team and snapping Aurora out of her reverie. Moving quickly and silently, she shoved the phone back into the hidden pocket of her bag. Opening her door, she joined Ward, Skye, May, and Coulson in the debriefing room. Seconds later, Simmons and Fitz emerged from the door to the lab, meeting them at the table. 

"Chan Ho Yin--" Coulson said, as a picture of the man rotated on the screen. "Just a struggling street performer until a few years ago, when Mr. Chan began to exhibit moderate pyrokinetic abilities."

"So what gave him powers?" Fitz asked.

"It's still under investigation, but Chan did live near the decommissioned Wan Tai plant when it caught fire. To our knowledge, no other nearby residents have exhibited similar traits."

"So how did we find out about him?" Simmons asked.

"Informant saw him lighting torches in a street show," May said, "with his pinkie."

"Brought it to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention," Coulson added, "we told him to keep his abilities under wraps. He's been on the Index ever since." Aurora schooled her expression as anger, disgust, and bitterness swelled inside her. _The fucking Index_.

"The index?" Skye asked.

"It's a list S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps of people and objects with powers," Simmons said. _No,_ Aurora corrected, _it's a fucking tracking system. Like a chip in a pet. Or a tag on a fish. People monitored like_ ** _cattle_** _because they're different_ ** _._** ****

"Wait. What?" The excitement in the hacker's voice would have usually amused Aurora, but instead, it only increased her disgust. "How many are there? Are you saying there are more people--"

"Not many," May interrupted.

"Well, enough to keep a list," Skye countered.

"A short list, meant to protect them." _Bullshit. It's meant to control them_.

"Though, in rare cases, S.H.I.E.L.D. has had to take action," Ward said.

"Action against objects or people?" Skye asked, looking around at them. The hacker saw the uncomfortable looks on the other agents' faces, and given how quickly Skye looked away from Aurora, she also saw anger. "Well, that's drastic with a side of creepy. How are they monitored-- tapped phones, satellite surveillance, body probes in dark, unpleasant places?"

"Body probes?" Fitz repeated, chuckling slightly. "Now, that's ridiculous. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't do that. We don't do that. Do we?" 

"The methods vary," Coulson said, avoiding the question. "Mr. Chan was low-risk. He was assigned a case agent who checked in with him every few days. That's how we discovered him missing." May tapped the screen, and the monitor behind Coulson changed. 

_"Hello, Agent Kwan. How are you?"_ May asked in Cantonese as men appeared in the video.

_"Not as good as I could be,"_ the agent responded.

"Everyone, this is Agent Kwan," May said, in English. "Chan Ho Yin's chase agent. What can you tell us?"

_"Not much, I'm afraid,"_ Agent Kwan said. _"Chan is a magician, so at first, I thought he'd made himself disappear."_

"The file says you'd caught him violating his index agreement before," Coulson said. _Agreement? Bullshit._

_"On two separate occasions-- claimed we were 'hampering his artistic expression.' But late last night, he was taken by professionals. The only thing they left behind was a scrap of aluminized material."_

"Fireproof clothing," Simmons said.

"So whoever took him knew about his power," Ward said.

_"Yes, and we think we know why. Over the last few days, the tech division discovered a crack into our data stream. It's the same cyber punks who hacked us before. Somehow, they got in again. It's the Rising Tide."_ Simultaneously the team turned to face Skye. _"Hello? It got real quiet, you guys still there?"_

"Thank you, Agent Kwan," Coulson said, and, after waiting for the Agent's reply, May turned off the feed. "Skye, Ward, could you come with me?"

When Skye returned from Coulson's office, she headed determinedly to the nearest computer. Her fingers rapidly tapped on the keyboard, tracing down the hacker that had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data stream. The team gathered around her, and Aurora was amused to see both Fitz and Simmons looking at the hacker with stars in their eyes. 

"How close are we?" Coulson asked, striding back into the debriefing room.

"Almost there," Skye answered.

"She's identified the remote-access trojan and the infected endpoint," Fitz said, clearly impressed.

"And," Simmons continued, equally impressed, "is searching for a TCP to correlate the hypertext with signature information and then... voila."

"Bob's your uncle."

"You get any of that?" Coulson asked, looking at her and Ward.

"Some," Aurora answered just as Ward said;

"Only the Uncle part."

"We got our origin-- Austin, Texas," Skye said.

"You got a name?"

"Just the Cafe our hacker worked out of, but I'm in the system. I'm going to check to see if any credit-card charges from that day match up with any known hackers." There was a moment of silence in the group as the computer searched the data. Then, "we got a hit." Aurora watched as something, an emotion, passed over Skye's face as a man's picture popped up on the screen.

"Miles Lydon," Fitz said, "Not Skye-- that's to all of our relief."

"You know him?" Coulson asked.

"Every hacker in the world knows him," Skye answered.

"Not just the hacker world. He infiltrated the Kremlin," Simmons said.

"Yeah, the picture of, uh, Putin shirtless on horseback-- that was his hack," Fitz said.

"It was also his hack that got Chan kidnapped," Ward reminded them, crossing his arms across his chest.

"May, set a course for Austin," Coulson ordered.

"Just did." The agent didn't even look up from her tablet. 

"What about Chan?" Skye said, looking concerned. Aurora squinted her eyes at the woman; there was still something off in her expression. _She was hiding something. Interesting._

"Kwan's got a S.H.I.E.L.D. team on the ground. Our best bet is to chase this thing from the other end. Find Mr. Lydon, bring him in. See what he knows," Coulson answered, and the team dispersed. But the concerned expression never left Skye's face. 

⊗⊗⊗

After landing in Austin, the team headed out to find Lydon. Skye and Ward were tasked with walking around the city while Coulson paroled in his totally inconspicuous S.H.I.E.L.D. S.U.V. Before they had left, their leader had pulled Aurora and May aside, ordering them to keep an eye on Skye; apparently, she wasn't the only one who had noticed that there was something up with the girl.

The two agents walked soundlessly behind their teammate who, after notifying the team that Lydon hadn't been sighted at the cafe in over a week, had gone radio silent.

Skye briskly weaved through the streets, looking over her shoulder periodically, until she stopped in front of an apartment complex. May and Aurora watched from across the street as the hacker turned her head, looking up and down the sidewalk for any sign of the team, then entered the building. Minutes later, the car Lydon had been seen driving parked in front of the same apartment building. Disappointment flooded Aurora's system. Not because Skye had tipped off Lydon (she had no right to be angry about _that_ ), but because of how obvious she was being about it.

May let out an angry puff of air next to her and muttered a quiet "let's go" between clenched teeth.

Giving it a few seconds, they followed after the hackers, and with a quick look at the building's directory, the two made their way to Lydon's apartment. They stood in the hallway, waiting for Skye and Lydon to pause their conversation. Once their voices quieted, May gave another order.

"You get us in. I'll notify the team." Without waiting for Aurora to respond, the older agent stalked off. Vaguely, she heard her update the team and give them their coordinates through a separate comm channel, keeping Skye in the dark. Taking out one of the bobby pins that held her French braid in place, she diligently picked the lock. She turned the handle only after she heard the telltale click that told her she had succeeded, then slid the pin back into her hair. The door barely made a groan as Aurora pushed it open, and she felt May's presence return behind her.

The apartment looked average enough at first glance. There was art decorating the walls, a leather couch situated in the middle of the room, a few bookcases, a T.V., and a rug. The only entrance and exit point seemed to be the door they had come from. There were two windows directly across from them as well as a wall that separated them from the rest of the apartment. Taking another step into the room, Aurora noticed two things that made the living space unique. One thing was that, to the left of the door, there was a desk covered in tech gear. Some of which had lights blinking on and off, while some were only half-built with wires leading to nowhere. The other thing was a green plaid shirt hanging off the edge of the plain leather couch. The same shirt that, a few hours ago, Skye had left the bus wearing. _Oh, Skye_. 

May brushed past her, picking up the shirt and clutching it tightly in her hand, anger clear as day on her face. Aurora let out a quiet sigh and sat down on the couch, while the other agent dramatically positioned herself in front of the door that separated them from Skye. However, the dramatics were effective, because a few minutes later, when Skye opened the door, Aurora watched with pity as a mixture of shock and fear appeared on her face. 

"Get... Dressed," May gritted out, and Skye swallowed, tentatively reaching out to take back her top. Aurora stood up, and Skye's eyes flickered over May's shoulder to look at her. She gave the girl a small, gentle, and undeniably genuine smile.

By the time the rest of the team arrived at the apartment, both hackers were dressed. Fitz and Simmons made a beeline for the equipment, while Coulson had dawned his 'disappointed dad' face, and Ward was pointedly avoiding looking at Skye. Aurora had joined the scientists and Ward, turning her back to Skye and Coulson in a pitiful attempt to give them privacy. 

"I know how this looks--" Skye started, sitting on the couch. Coulson held up a finger, stopping her from finishing her sentence.

"How long have you two been in contact?" Coulson asked, his voice almost hostile. 

"I contacted him once, the day I joined to tell him I was okay and once earlier today."

"When you tipped off an active suspect?"

"No, it's not like that. Miles and I--" Skye paused to collect her thoughts. "We met when we were both a little screwed up. Scratch that-- he was a little screwed up, I was a lot. But we looked after one another. That's why I warned him," Aurora held back a wince,"not because we're working together on this, but because we're friends. I'm really sorry."

"Noted," Coulson said, harshly. "If not you, then who is Mr. Lydon working with?"

"No one. He's an idealist, believes in freedom of information."

"That information cost a man his freedom and you sabotaged our attempts to remedy that."

"No, I came here to find out what Miles knows about Chan," Skye said.

"And?"

"Nothing. Miles is a dead end. He's harmless."

"We'll see." 

"Really," Skye argued, "I was gonna find out everything that I could to try to help. I just- I felt like I couldn't tell you guys everything." _Because you can't._

"I know. That's why I asked May and Auditore to follow you. Seems like that wasn't a dead end."

"Why would Skye do this to us, for him?" Fitz whispered, turning to Simmons. "I thought she was our friend."

"I think she is, Fitz," Simmons answered. "He's just obviously more than that."

"Yeah, but we've been through so much together, and she didn't even tell us that she has a guy."

"Well, who knows what they've been through together?" Simmons said, and Fitz turned his head to Aurora, raising his eyebrows.

Aurora thought back to the burner phone sitting in her closet, and she spoke carefully. "Being loyal to us meant betraying him. No matter what, someone was getting hurt."

"Gather all the evidence and secure the prisoners," Coulson ordered, as May walked behind him with Lydon in handcuffs. "We got what we were looking for here. We're going to Hong Kong." 

Ward walked over to Skye, handcuffs shining in his hands. Aurora turned away, helping Simmons pack away what was left of her equipment. She shot Skye one last genuine smile and followed after Fitz, leaving the room.

⊗⊗⊗

While Fitz, Simmons, and Ward stood in the debriefing room listening into Skye and Lydon in one of the holding rooms, Aurora had wordlessly excused herself. Closing the door to her bunk, she watched the seconds count down on her watch. One minute. Quickly she dug out her burner phone. Holding it in her hand, her fingers clenched around it as the same anxiety from the morning reformed in her stomach. She closed her eyes. _Please. Please. Please._

Her body sagged in relief when it vibrated twice in her hand. Flipping it open, she read the incoming text from the unknown number she had memorized by heart.

**From: Unknown**

плоть и кровь

She was okay. Aurora let out a deep breath and rested the phone against her forehead as a wide smile broke out across her face. She was okay.

**To: Unknown**

плоть и кровь

Then, having done it a million times before, she deleted the messages from both her inbox and the trash folder, shoving her phone back in her bag and into the bottom of her closet. She rested a hand on her collarbone, letting the anxiety leave her body with every breath. After she took back control, she rejoined the team, who were too preoccupied with Skye and Lydon to notice anything. 

"He's dirty," Ward said. "I can feel it."

"Scrubbed clean, actually-- nothing much on him," Simmons said. "He's got no family records, and he plays a lot of 'Minecraft,' where he runs a rather nasty Mob."

"Is it-- is it Zombie?" Fitz asked.

"Zombie Pigmen." The man's face curled in disgust.

"Keep looking," Ward said, and the two scientists returned to shuffling through Lydon's papers.

"Wait, I found something," Simmons said, lining up four pieces of paper into a row. "These are bank deposits, all made right after the leak."

"How much is it in total?" Aurora asked, leaning over the woman's shoulder.

"A million dollars," Fitz said. All the agents looked at each other for a moment in silence.

"I'll let Coulson know," Simmons said, and she darted off in the direction of his office. Ward picked up the banknotes, shoving them into a folder, and followed after her.

"Do you think Skye knew?" Fitz asked, glancing up at Aurora. She shook her head.

"She wouldn't be defending him like this if she did."

Sure enough, as soon as Lydon admitted to selling the information, Skye was rattling her cuffs against the table, (Aurora had to stop herself from flinching at the familiar sound) looking like she was ready to bound over it and strangle him. While Ward just watched, his head turning in the direction of whoever was speaking.

_"What the hell were you thinking,"_ Skye said.

_"It was a million dollars,"_ Lydon responded. _"It would change my life-- our lives. And the woman was harmless. I looked into it."_ Aurora rolled her eyes, Skye needed better taste in men. 

_"No one with good intentions pays that kind of money for information. Did you ever think about that?"_

_"Of course, I did. I never would have done it if I thought--"_

"What a moron," Fitz muttered next to her, and Aurora hummed in agreement. "What does Skye even see in him?" Immediately a few suggestions popped into her head, none of which were appropriate to say aloud.

_"Who is the woman you referred to?"_ Ward interrupted.

" _A fan of the Rising Tide,"_ Lydon said, _"Some rich girl in a flower dress. She knew all about me, said I had a gift._ _She thought people like us deserved more."_

_"Oh, you deserve more,"_ Skye quipped.

_"She pointed me to a Chinese S.H.I.E.L.D. feed-- wanted me to crack it."_

_"You thought that was harmless?"_ Ward asked.

_"I checked the data stream,"_ Lydon said, turning towards Skye, _"it didn't seem like anything you and I hadn't already put out there. And I traced the account where the money came from to make sure it wasn't some evil corporation. It was just an eco-research lab. Otherwise, I would never--"_

_"Ecological research?"_ Ward said, and Aurora leaned closer to the screen in front of her.

_"Yeah, insects, some study with centipedes."_ Fitz and Aurora's heads shot towards each other in shock.

"Son of a bitch," Aurora muttered.

"This is not good," Fitz said.

"No, no, it is not."

The two didn't have to wait long as the rest of the team, minus Skye, reappeared in the debriefing room almost a minute later. 

"It appears Centipede is responsible for Mr. Chan's kidnapping," Coulson said, leaning against the table. 

"First L.A., now Hong Kong," Ward said. "What kind of organization are we dealing with?"

"International, well-financed, interested in creating a super-soldier. Let's hope finding Mr. Chan will provide some answers. Using the account information Mr. Lydon gave us, S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ believes he's being held here," Coulson said, pointing at a building on the map in front of them.

"Any ideas what Centipede wants with Chan?" May asked.

"Hard to say," Fitz said, "But considering he's pyrokinetic..."

"There's a good chance his genetics could stabilize the extremis element of the centipede serum," Simmons said.

"Keep their test subjects from going..." Fitz made an explosive gesture with his hands. "Boom." 

"If Mr. Chan is Centipede's lab rat, we need to get there before the experiment's over," Coulson said, and the team dispersed. Before Aurora could walk too far, the man stopped her, taking hold of her elbow. She resisted every urge in her body to yank it out of his hold. "No need to put your gear on, Agent May and I will be handling the fieldwork." Aurora gave a firm nod, that was fine with her.

⊗⊗⊗

Chan, alienated and frustrated by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 'protective' measures, had not been as welcoming to Coulson and Kwan's help as the rest of the team had anticipated. Aurora was sure she was the only one on the bus that had not been shocked when Chan had turned around and killed Agent Kwan before directing his fire to Coulson and May.

_"Strike team needs a security override, stat,"_ Coulson said over their comm. Ward didn't waste a second, striding away and returning with a nervous Skye and Lydon. 

"The entire facility's been locked down," Simmons muttered, her hands rubbing against her temples as Skye typed rapidly on the keyboard.

"Are you sure about this?" Fitz asked Ward, glancing at the male hacker.

"No."

"The alarms disconnected the system from all exterior servers," Skye said, pulling up the building's blueprint and broadcasting it on the screen.

"Can you fix it or not?" Ward asked.

"Yes, but you've got to get me on-site." Both Lydon and Ward responded, and Aurora raised her eyebrows.

"No way."

"Not a chance."

"You're a hacker, Skye," Lydon continued, "not Seal Team Six."

The girl turned her head towards Ward and Aurora. "No. But _they_ are." Ward shot a smug expression at Lydon, and Aurora silently let out a huff. Again, _Skye needed better taste in men._

"Where do you need to go?" Aurora asked, breaking up the rising testosterone, and with a few taps of Skye's fingers, the blueprint was shifting.

"The security room, in the lower level," Skye answered, and Aurora took a step closer to the monitor, her eyes scanning the image.

"The left side entrance," she noted, pointing, "connects straight to the emergency stairs. It's the most direct route." She turned to Ward, who nodded in agreement. Then they were moving, putting on their gear and grabbing their weapons. Walking confidently off the bus, they made their way to the side entrance. Before Ward opened the metal door, he turned to the two women.

"You," he pointed at Skye, "stay behind us. And Auditore no kill shots." Aurora bit back her response. _Arrogant ass._ Then he yanked the door open.

Ward and Aurora had taken down their fifth or sixth man when May's voice came over their comm.

_"Where are we on the doors?"_

Ward grunted as he threw another man against the wall, "almost there."

Aurora dodged a punch, countering with one of her own. Her fist connected with the man's gut, and he dropped to the ground. Turning, she clotheslined a man running at them, and Ward punched him unconscious before pulling Skye out of the corner she was taking cover in. 

As they turned the next corner, Aurora almost collided with another member of security. Before he could register her, she reached forward pinching the pressure point at his neck and, he too, fell to the ground. Rushing past her, Ward pulled open the door to the security room, and the three ushered inside. While Skye headed straight to the computer in the middle of the room, Ward following after her, Aurora circled the room, making sure it was clear.

"How long is this gonna take?" Ward asked, leaning over the girl's shoulder.

"Done." Aurora and Ward shot each other surprised looks. _That was fast._

Thankfully, the trek out of the building went smoother, as most of the security were already incapacitated. She, Ward, and Skye met up with May and Coulson as they hit the landing for the ground level, and all five of them sprinted out of the building together. Right as they made it to the road, a blast sounded from behind them. Aurora turned to see a ball of fire erupt from the rooftop. _Chan_.

"Skye managed to extract some files from the building's mainframe," Ward said, leaning towards Coulson. "It's not much, but it could get us a fix on Centipede."

"Maybe," Coulson said, not looking away from the explosion.

"You can't save someone from themselves, sir."

"You can if you get to them early enough." With that, Coulson turned, his eyes locking on Skye. 

⊗⊗⊗

Aurora was making dinner for herself when Skye walked by; the girl hesitated by the counter, and Aurora watched as she shifted her weight and wrung her hands in front of her waist.

"I'm headed up to see Coulson," Skye said. Aurora didn't pause her movements, and the girl cleared her throat. "You got any advice?"

Aurora huffed a breath but didn't say anything, mostly because she didn't know what to say or how to make the situation better. Skye cared about S.H.I.E.L.D. She _wanted_ to be an agent. But the only advice Aurora could think to offer was to get as far away from the organization as possible, to cut her losses and run, because that's what she would do. Except, Aurora looked at Skye, and her mind flashed to the two scientists in the lab, and she thought that maybe that wasn't so true anymore. 

"Be honest," Aurora said, resting her knife on the counter and halting Skye, who had started to walk away. She ran her tongue along her teeth. She still didn't know how she felt about Coulson. He was a suit. But he had shown Amador kindness (and gone behind HQ's back). "Coulson's a good man," she said. "Be honest, and he'll be fair." Skye didn't respond, and Aurora didn't really expect her too.

Aurora had almost finished her evening workout with the punching bag, her arms heavy with exhaustion and a thin layer of sweat covering her skin, when she heard the sound of Skye's footsteps again. Looking up briefly, she saw that the hacker's eyes had become bloodshot, and she had pulled the sleeves of her sweater down over her hands. Aurora turned her attention back to the punching bag in front of her as Skye began to speak, her voice as soft as it was in the kitchen.

"You were right, kinda. Coulson eased up after I told him the truth. The full truth. But I still have to wear the anti-tech bracelet." Aurora hummed, hitting the punching bag again. "Can I ask you something?" 

A seriousness in the girl's voice caused Aurora to pause, and she lifted one of her hands to slow the swaying of the bag. The only positive indication she gave that she had heard Skye was turning her head to look at her.

"It's just, well, today." Skye paused, and Aurora watched as she shifted her weight again. "You didn't look at me any differently when you found out about Miles. You didn't judge or turn your back on me, why?"

For the second time, Aurora thought back to the burner phone hidden in her bag. She thought about who was on the other end of that phone, and the possible cell that was waiting for her if anyone ever found it. Aurora took a step away from the bag and let out a breath. Looking down, she peeled off her hand wraps. Then she sunk to the cold metal floor, folding the wraps, and resting them in her lap. 

"My name made you hesitate," Aurora said, keeping her voice even, "the first time you heard it. Why?" After a second, Skye moved to sit on the floor next to her, and Aurora could almost hear the gears in her head as they snapped into place. A wide smile appeared on Skye's face.

"No way!" Skye said, leaning forward, and into Aurora's personal space, with excitement. "So, it's true. I mean, it's real. I always thought it was just legend. That you were-- but nobody said anything so I-- but you-- you're--" her voice dropped to a whisper. "You're a member of the Brotherhood. You're an actual Brotherhood Assassin. That's so cool!" Suddenly, she shook her head, mouth wide open, leaning back on her hands. "Wow, I didn't think S.H.I.E.L.D. would work with Brotherhood members."

"They don't." _Not intentionally._

"Then why--" One of Aurora's hands clasped onto her opposite forearm, her nails digging deep into her skin and a new layer of sweat collected on her palms. She took another breath and fought against the instinct to guard herself. Putting all of her concentration on keeping the emotion out of her voice, she ran her tongue along her teeth, and forced herself to look Skye in the eyes. 

"I know what it's like to be forced into giving up ties because S.H.I.E.L.D. says you have to." Aurora swallowed. "It's hard." _And sometimes it's impossible._

After a moment of silence, Aurora saw understanding flash in the girl's eyes. For the first time in years, they both knew the other truly understood. Giving up a part of your life, closing a chapter, willingly or unwillingly was hard. Being expected to give it _all_ up, to just _stop_ being loyal to something because someone said you had too and then getting punished when you can't. They sat there in silence on the cold hard metal of the ramp for another moment. Then Skye spoke, leaning closer to her (again), just as the doors to the lab slid open.

_"An actual Brotherhood Assassin_.Wait, do you have a nickname? Something awesome? Like Black Widow?" Aurora opened her mouth to tell her that no, she didn't. The Brotherhood was meant to stay in the shadows, hidden. No individual reputations. No nicknames. But before she could, a British voice answered.

"They call her 'The Angel." Aurora looked over her shoulder, as Simmons walked towards them, Fitz following right behind. As Simmons finished her sentence, she took a seat next to Skye. 

"Short for 'The Angel of Death,'" Fitz explained as he too sat with them, placing himself between Simmons and Aurora, completing their small circle on the dirty floor of the bus. 

Skye looked at her. "Why--" Fitz and Simmons answered her unspoken question at the same time.

"Because of her blonde hair."

"Because of her beauty."

Fitz's face flooded with color as he registered what he'd said. Simmons sent him an amused look, but Aurora didn't notice, her eyes darting between the two scientists.

"You know about the Brotherhood?" Aurora said, her eyes slightly widening in shock.

"We heard May and Coulson arguing about it," Simmons explained.

"But there wasn't a lot of legitimate information about it when we looked it up," Fitz said. _Good._

"That's because it's all legend," Skye said, still excited. "It's the oldest league of assassins to ever exist. They're said to melt into shadows, and some are said to be able to _fly_."

"Reality is less exciting," Aurora said quietly, but she couldn't help the pride rising in her chest.

"So, what is reality?" Skye asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"No melting. No flying. The Brotherhood does what S.H.I.E.L.D. does," the words tasted bitter in her mouth. _We do what S.H.I.E.L.D. was_ ** _supposed_** _to do._ "Protect innocent people."

Not that S.H.I.E.L.D. understood that, Aurora continued in her head. To them, we're killers. Monsters. Rogue vigilantes. Incapable of telling the difference between right and wrong. 

"By killing people," Simmons said quietly, a distressed look on her face. _Point proven_.

Aurora's eyes flickered to meet Simmons head-on. "By doing what's necessary."

Silence fell over them, and fear tingled under Aurora's skin. The scientists had known she was an assassin for S.H.I.E.L.D., it had been in her file. But those deaths had been deemed acceptable to them, ordered by an organization they believed in. Arrogantly, they might have even admired her a little, the same way they admired Romanoff. But that was because S.H.I.E.L.D. was an organization they understood, trusted, had faith in. They didn't know the Brotherhood, didn't accept it. Would she still be allowed in their lab? Or would they treat her with the same distrust that Agent May and every other S.H.I.E.L.D. agent treated her with? Would they call her emotionless like Ward? Think she needed a leash like Coulson and the Director? 

"Right, c'mon. It's my turn to pick a board game," Fitz said suddenly, drawing the other agents' attention to him and essentially ending the conversation. "Simmons' got to pick last time." Standing up, he reached a hand out to her. Aurora hesitated, looking at it for a few seconds. Right before he moved to retreat it, she grabbed it, swallowing the uncomfortable feeling that came with it and allowing him to help her up. His hand was bigger than hers, she noticed, but just as calloused. Beside them, Simmons was helping Skye up. Aurora slid her hand out of Fitz's, but before she could step too far away, he took hold of her wrist and whispered something to her and her alone. His voice soft, but firm.

"We trust you."

Then, together, the four of them walked up the stairs and into the lounge.

Word Count: 5,342

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English Translation of плоть и кровь is Flesh and Blood


	6. Chapter Six

Aurora hated it when she agreed with Grant Ward. The man was impulsive, emotional, arrogant, and it seemed he was constantly trying to prove he was better than people like Skye, Fitz, and Simmons simply because he could competently shoot a gun. More than anything, something about the man rubbed her the wrong way. And yet, for what felt like the umpteenth time, she agreed with him.

"It's an ounce too heavy," Ward spoke, looking down at the newest version of Fitz's Night-Night pistol. Skye looked up from where she was sitting at the computer while Aurora perched on the table next to her.

"An ounce," she said incredulously.

"It's the difference between success and failure," Ward said, and Aurora had to stop herself from nodding. "When you're on a rooftop with a 15-mile-an-hour wind, your target is 500 yards away--"

"Yeah, but we do have a rifle," Fitz interrupted.

Ward gave him a look. "Lose the ounce."

"Yeah, okay. On it."

Aurora's eyes followed after the combat agent as he left the room, the door sliding closed behind him.

"'Lose the ounce.' I'm Agent Grant Ward," Fitz mocked, "and I can shoot the legs off a flea from 500 yards, as long as it's not windy." Skye let out a loud laugh, and Aurora had to prevent a small chuckle from tumbling out of her mouth, her hand coming up to cover the smile. Fitz's head twisted to look at her, and she dipped her head. In her peripheral, she saw Fitz turn back to the hacker. "Hey, that's a sound I haven't heard in a bit," he said.

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't be laughing a whole lot if you were living in Ward's doghouse," Skye said.

"You made the rounds," Fitz said, "apologized to us all. What more can he ask?"

"I don't know. I have been busting my ass, memorizing every S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol manual, following every order. 'Yes, sir.' 'No, sir.' I even let them tag me like a stray dog. I mean, I know I lied to you guys, but I was trying to protect my boyfriend."

"You know, we all make mistakes." Aurora raised her eyebrows at the new tone in Fitz's voice. "And who cares-- I don't care-- who cares about your ex-boyfriend?" _Oh, Fitz, I don't think you're Skye's type._

"It's not like I'm comparing Ward to Miles," Skye continued, "but at least with Miles, I didn't have to worry about passive-aggressive stuff. There were no mind games. We spoke the same language, you know."

"Yeah, a bit like we do." Aurora felt like she was watching a train wreck that she couldn't look away from.

"Totally," Skye said, oblivious to Fitz's attempt at flirting. "You and Simmons are so tight. It's like you're psychically linked."

Fitz's eyes shifted over to Aurora, who, for the first time, wasn't trying to hide her amusement at the situation. "No," he said, "you-- no. Actually, no. I don't think so."

"What about you, Auditore?" Skye asked, turning to face Aurora. The girl raised a single eyebrow, her pink lips curved upward into a smirk. "You speaking the same language with anyone?" 

"Sorry," Fitz broke in, raising one of his hands as if he was in class, "I would just like to make it clear that Simmons and I aren't-- there's nothing--" He cut himself off gesturing slightly with his raised hand, his face was growing to be a light pink color as the two beautiful women looked at him. 

Suddenly the glass door slid open and Simmons walked in, inadvertently saving Fitz. Aurora shifted her weight slightly as an uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. Simmons hadn't been avoiding her exactly, but Aurora had felt a new distance between the two of them after she had found out about Aurora's association with the Brotherhood. "So, Ward was here?" she asked, avoiding Aurora's gaze. "Let me guess-- the Night-Night pistol again?"

"He said it was off by an ounce," Fitz said, seizing the opportunity and turning away from Skye and Aurora to look at Simmons.

"Of course he did," Simmons scoffed, then, just as Fitz had, the woman preceded to mock the combat agent. "I'm Agent Grant Ward, and I could rupture your spleen with my left pinky-- blindfolded."

"That is dead-on," Skye laughed, and Aurora sent a pointed look to Fitz. The look he responded with clearly said _Shut Up,_ and she stifled a smile.

"Hey, hustle up and grab your gear," Ward said, striding back into the lab. "We're on a mission." Unlike Aurora, Fitz and Skye were unable to prevent amused smiles from forming on their lips. "Something funny?"

"Poor, silly Fitz," Simmons said, redirecting Ward's attention to her. "He mistakenly left a dummy round in the pistol. Should be proper now." The man took the pistol from her, quickly raising it to his eyes and aiming it at nothing. He glanced at Simmons then at Aurora. Again she found herself in tune with Ward as the two locked eyes. They both knew he could still feel the extra ounce in the gun.

"Great. Thanks," he said, surprising her. Then he turned, walking back through the door he came through. 

Aurora watched the three non-combat agents laugh with each other, and she shook her head. Sliding off the table, she walked off with the intent of doing as Ward said: gearing up for the mission. Right before she made her way up the stairs, she heard Fitz call her name. She turned to face him, her eyebrows rising once again at the man. 

"Just, yeah know, for the sake of curiosity, _Skye's_ curiosity obviously," he paused, rubbing the back of his neck, "are you, uh, 'speaking the same language with someone'?"

Something about how he asked it made an unfamiliar warmth fill Aurora's chest. "No, Fitz, you can tell Skye that I am not 'speaking the same language' with anyone.'"

"Good," Fitz said, then embarrassment flooded his face, and he immediately started backtracking. "Well, not good, _good_ , I just mean--"

"Fitz," she said, her lips curled upward. "Gear up."

"Right. Will do," he said, then he shot her two thumbs up and darted back into the lab. Aurora shook her head. 

⊗⊗⊗

"Troop leader's name was Adam Cross," Coulson explained to the team made their way up to the campsite in the woods of Pennsylvania. "Apparently, he said he heard something in the woods, went to check it out. That's where the electrostatic anomaly occurred." 

"What I don't understand is, usually, they're caused by a massive electrical storm," Fitz said.

"But there wasn't a storm within a thousand miles of here last night," Simmons added.

"This anomaly's different," Coulson said. "It has a side effect we've never seen before." 

Aurora walked behind the two scientists as they made their way up a small hill, following a path of scorch marks embedded into the trees. When they reached the top, Aurora blinked. A man was floating horizontally in the air-- _a dead man_. Aurora watched as Fitz and Simmons pulled out their tech, analyzing the floating body. 

"So sad a man died this way," Simmons said, as the rest of the team joined them, "and yet, so amazing."

"Fitz-Simmons," Coulson said, "any idea what could cause an effect like this?" Then both scientists were off, talking a mile a minute and using words far above the rest of their understanding. Aurora shared a look with Ward. "Time. Let's try that again. Any idea what could cause an effect like this?"

"Hell if I know."

"Uh, no, no, clue."

"Seems to me like we're either dealing with some freak natural event or a new high-tech weapon," Ward said.

"Or could it be someone from your uber-secret Index?" Skye asked.

"There's no one on the Index with this type of power," May said.

"That we know of," Coulson added. "I'll contact Agent Blake at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, have him check it out. Whoever or whatever's responsible; we can't let this happen again."

Simmons took a step towards the body. "Fitz, see his forehead? Look at that endothelial discoloration."

"Yeah, same dispersal pattern as the strike on the truck," Fitz said. An uneasy feeling filled Aurora as she watched Simmons take another step. Something inside her wanted to reach out and pull the girl back by the scruff of her neck.

"Simmons," Aurora called out. Jemma turned to look over her shoulder for a second.

"It could be an entry wound cauterized immediately," Simmons said, leaning her head forward. Then the body made a sizzling sound and dropped. Aurora's eye's darted around the scene. _Not good_.

"Freaky," Fitz said. 

While May migrated to the interrogation room, with the hopes of getting information from one of the boy scouts, and Ward, Skye, and Coulson headed upstairs, Aurora returned to the lab with the scientists and the body of Cross. Although, one look at the body on his precious Holotable had Fitz practically running back to the ramp. Aurora watched as Simmons scanned the body, making notes every few minutes on the tablet in her hand.

"Excellent timing, sir," the scientist said when Coulson returned to the lab. "I've been analyzing sagittal and coronal images of the victim's brain."

"What's Fitz doing out there?" Coulson asked.

"He detected a strange energy coming off the body."

"He's afraid of it, isn't he?"

"It's the smell!" Fitz yelled from the ramp. Aurora didn't blame him, the smell of death was disturbing; it had a habit of clinging to clothes and lingering in the air too long. It had taken Aurora years to get used to it.

"There's no shame in it, Fitz," Simmons called out. Aurora nodded her head in agreement. "It's perfectly natural to be afraid."

"No," Fitz yelled back, "the only thing I'm afraid of is putrid, decaying flesh corrupting my pristine workspace. Do you remember the last time you brought a dead thing into the lab?"

"Oh, not the stupid cat again."

"The cat--"

"It's our lab, Fitz--"

"Tell him about the cat!"

"--Not your lab."

_"You left his liver next to my lunch!"_

Aurora smiled, her head bouncing back and forth between the two bickering scientists, until, finally, Coulson interrupted them, gesturing to the body on the table.

"Guys! Can we please..."

"Yes, sir," Simmons said, taking a breath. "As I was saying, this is the victim's brain." Tapping on her tablet, a detailed image of the body displayed onto the monitor. Cross's brain was a dark brown, contrasting greatly with the brilliant greens and blues of the rest of the image.

"Looks like a burnt baked potato," Coulson observed. 

"That's what happens when it's hit with 2,000 megajoules of electrostatic energy." Aurora let out a low whistle. "That's almost double the power of a lightning bolt."

"Kid's clean," May announced, joining them. "You figure out why the body was floating?"

"Not yet. The molecular density of the victim was temporarily altered by an unknown energy source. I'm hoping to shed some light on its effects once I extract a brain-tissue sample."

"It's happening again!" Fitz called out from behind the glass door.

"It's science, Fitz! I have to dissect something."

"No, the satellite's picking up another electrostatic event, not twenty kilometers from here." The three combat agents looked at each other in concern. Then, without hesitating, Coulson sent an order to Ward through the comms, as they raced passed Fitz and jumped into the S.U.V. Aurora climbing into the backseat as Coulson took shotgun. Seconds later, Ward was running through the lab, slamming down the button to release the ramp and sliding in next to her. As soon as the ramp made contact with the ground, May was putting her foot to the gas, and they were off.

⊗⊗⊗

May had only been driving for a few kilometers, breaking many speed laws in the process, when Coulson requested an update on the level of energy radiating from the event.

_"We're at 324 megajoules and growing stronger,"_ Fitz said through their comms. _"Dangerous territory, sir."_

_"There's a farmhouse a mile north of you,"_ Skye added, _"right at the center of the signal. That's got to be it."_

"Skye, dig up everything you can on whoever lives at that farm," Coulson said. "We need to know who we're dealing with."

_"What-what just happened? Um, it's gone,"_ Fitz said.

"What's gone?"

_"The electrostatic signal-- it seemed to pulse then disappear."_

"We need a short cut," Coulson said, looking at May. A second later, May made a sharp turn off the road and into a field of crops. The force of it cause Aurora to take hold of the door and her grip didn't loosen until they pulled up to the farmhouse. As she exited the car, she pulled her handgun out from where it was resting at the curve of her waist and positioned it in front of her, ready to engage. Coulson pushed lightly on the barn door, peaking between the boards of wood. 

"Door's barred from the inside," he noted. 

"Haylofts open," Ward said.

"We could ram it with the truck," Coulson suggested, and Aurora and May looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Taking a step out of the way, May gestured to her. Nodding, Aurora took a step back and kicked the door wide open. It made a high-pitched whining sound as it swung on its hinges. The two men turned to look at her, and she raised her eyebrows. "Or..." 

One by one, they entered the barn, stopping short when they caught sight of another floating body. _Not good_. May darted up the ladder and into the hayloft to be eye level with the newest victim.

"Scan the perimeter," Coulson ordered, not even bothering to turn and face them. "Whoever did this couldn't have gotten far." Nodding, Aurora and Ward split up. 

Without speaking, Aurora moved around the left side of the barn, her back turned towards the wood paneling. She grasped the gun tightly in her hands and directed her eyes into the woods just behind the barren field. Scanning the trees, she saw nothing. When she connected with Ward behind the barn, he shook his head too. _Damn_. For safety, Aurora circled the farmhouse for recent signs of life while Ward checked for any tracks or vehicles.

"No tracks," he said, updating the rest of the team, "no vehicles down the road."

"Nothing around the house either," Aurora said.

"Skye. We need real-time SAT surveillance on this area right now," Coulson said.

_"Hang on. I think I found something you might want to see first. Sending it over now."_ Sure enough, Aurora's phone vibrated in her front pocket. In the group chat was an image of both the first victim and the second victim, both of whom were wearing their firefighter uniforms and posing with two others in front of a fire truck. _"The guy who owns the farm's name is Frank Whalen. He's a volunteer firefighter at the same station house as our first victim."_

"Our two victims knew each other," Ward said.

_"They were both responders when the aliens crashed in New York."_

"Two victims from the same firehouse, found in the same weird way."

_"We're looking for a killer."_

"We need to get to that fire station, talk to the other firefighters," Coulson said. "Fitz-Simmons, Skye, see if you can get anything from our new victim." Aurora heard the scientists mutter affirmatives in the comm, and the combat agents piled back into the car. They waited for a few minutes after the others had arrived at the second location before making contact again. 

"Skye, what did you find out about the firehouse?"

_"It turns out they sent an engine to New York with a dozen volunteers after the Chitauri invasion, including Cross and Whalen. Maybe it has something to do with why they were targeted?"_

"Or how they were killed," Ward added.

_"You mean like... an alien weapon?"_ Aurora shook her head to herself, _wouldn't be the first time._

"We don't know about that," Coulson dismissed. "Let's just make sure we get to those firefighters before anyone else does." May pressed down harder on the gas.

The sun had already set on the horizon when they parked at the entrance to the station, drawing the attention of the men sitting around playing cards.

"Evening, gentlemen," Coulson greeted. "Agent Phil Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D. We were on the ground with you in New York."

"S.H.I.E.L.D., right," one of the men replied. Aurora assumed that he was the fire chief, based on the badge on his chest. "What's this all about?" 

"We'd like to ask you a few questions, take a look around."

Coulson gestured with his head, and Aurora, May, and Ward departed the scene. Ward trekked back outside to check the perimeter, while she and May separated upstairs. She rested one hand behind her, ready to take hold of her handgun again if she needed too. Slowly she pushed each door open, flipping on the lights and looking around the room for any signs of a man or object that was out of place. Again and again, she found nothing: only normal breakrooms and supply rooms. Aurora had finally met in the middle with May when Coulson's voice came through their comms.

_"Ward, cover the back door. Nobody comes in or out."_ Aurora's hand inched closer to her gun as she shared a look with the other agent. _Not good._ May pushed open the last door, flicking on the light switch. Metal bunk beds were pushed against the wall, and two heavy wooden closets stood tall next to them. Over May's shoulder, Aurora saw some sort of metal object sitting in a clear glass container. 

"A Chitauri helmet," Aurora whispered, as she took a step closer to it.

May nodded, informing Coulson and the team over the comm. Then she pulled out her camera, broadcasting the image. "Fitz-Simmons, are you seeing this?"

_"May, Aurora, don't touch it!"_ Simmons ordered, and the two backed out of the room. _"Sir, he's not using a weapon-- he's infected. I think the helmet was the source of an alien virus."_ As the two agents turned the corner to the room Coulson was in, Ward joined them, his hands holding his gun tightly. A group of concerned firefighters followed behind them.

"Mr. Diaz," Coulson said, "I'm putting the gun away now, okay?" Aurora looked at the poor man covered in sweat, clearly panicking as the realization of his fate set in. He was going to die.

_"Sir, he's at 600 megajoules and climbing. Sir?"_

Coulson turned abruptly to face them. "Clear everybody out. Clear everybody out _now._ "

Nodding firmly, the agents ushered the firefighters out of the station, answering as little questions as they could. 

_"Why don't you have a seat?"_ Aurora heard Coulson ask. _"You have any family-- wife, kids? Is there anyone you want to talk to?"_

As they reached the edge of the station, May turned back, looking distractedly at the large building.

_"Sir,"_ Fitz said, and Aurora watched May's eyes twitch slightly at the man's next words. _"You have to get out of there right now!"_ The agent shifted on her feet. Aurora was doing better at masking her concern for Coulson, still in the building with the rising infection. 

_"Your job,"_ Coulson said, _"gets pretty dangerous, doesn't it? Mine, too. I got hurt once-- pretty bad and I... I died."_ This time Aurora was the one shifting her weight. _"Some say it was only for 8 seconds, but I know it was more than that. I know I wasn't here anymore. I was there."_ Aurora couldn't hear Diaz's response and, without thinking about it, she dug her fingernails into her arm. _"It's beautiful."_

Moments later, Coulson emerged from the station. Aurora squinted at the man. There was no way of knowing if he was telling the truth or lying for the sake of the dying man. Slowly a bright blue light grew in the windows. It pulsed for a second, the air crackling with electricity, then nothing. Aurora supposed it didn't really matter if he was telling the truth or not; he had been kind. 

They spent the next few hours in quarantine. No one knew, not even Simmons, how long it would take for the illness to present symptoms or how it was spread. Every muscle in Aurora's body had tensed upon seeing the crowd of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sent to manage their quarantine and examine the station. The only positive was, with the arrival of the crowd of suits, Fitz, Simmons, and Skye had shown up too. The three had spoken in quiet sentences for a few seconds before Fitz ordered them to stand in a line. Keeping his distance, he moved down the line, pointing his gadget in their directions, and a series of small red dots appeared on their chests. After taking a hesitant step away from Ward, who stood at the end of the line, he spoke.

"All clean-- no traces of electrostatic energy."

"What about the other firefighters?" Aurora heard Skye ask.

"They'll be quarantined and observed at a S.H.I.E.L.D. biohazard facility," Simmons said. Aurora watched as two men in white hazmat suits leave one of the sealed-off rooms, carrying a crate with an orange 'hazardous' sticker on it, and walk right up to their car.

"Anyone else notice they're putting the infected alien thing on our truck?" Skye said as the team moved to stand next to her.

"We're flying it to the Sandbox," Coulson said.

"The Sandbox?"

"It's a S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility across the Atlantic," Simmons explained. "They specialize in hazardous materials."

"If what you suspect is true, that this is a virus," Coulson said, looking at the scientist, "then those firefighters could be infected, and they're gonna need a cure. Find one."

"Yes, sir."

⊗⊗⊗

Aurora Auditore had been eating a sandwich and sitting on a lounge chair when she realized how much she had grown to care about scientist Jemma Simmons. May had been in the cockpit. Ward and Skye had been bickering about something regarding his training methods. Fitz had had a look on his face, a look which Aurora had come to associate with him running through data points in his head, and absentmindedly shoving popcorn into his mouth. 

An alarm had blared through the plane, followed quickly by the presence of Coulson. Unlike Fitz, his expression had been unknown to her. He spoke, and all the air in the plane was sucked out like a vacuum. 

Jemma Simmons had caught the illness. 

The deadly illness that caused people to be electrocuted from the inside out with a current twice as strong as a lightning bolt. A deadly illness no one had a cure for. 

Leo Fitz left the room moving faster than Aurora had ever seen him, the bowl of popcorn forgotten. Skye looked like she was on the verge of tears, and a hand came up to cover her gaping mouth; Ward didn't bother to cover his. Coulson never lost his expression. 

Aurora's face didn't change. Her eyes didn't widen. Her mouth didn't open. The only outward sign that anything had gone wrong was that her hands had curled into fists, and her nails were digging crescent-shaped indents into the palm of her hand. Her tongue was firmly between her teeth, the taste of copper filling her mouth. Inside, however, Aurora felt her throat constrict, and her heart and stomach rearranged themselves. She ground her back molars harder. Fear began to tingle at her fingertips, and she felt it move through her skin. It had been years since she felt this type of fear. 

The fear for someone else.

It was a fear she could do _nothing_ about. There was nothing, no one to fight. No mission to accomplish. 

_Worthless. Worthless. Worthless._

The only person who could do anything about the illness had the illness. 

"Sir, does this mean she could bring down the plane?" Aurora's head snapped in Ward's direction. She hadn't even thought of that. She blinked once. Twice. _That's what he was thinking about?_ Anger quickly replaced fear. Anger was easier. She could work with anger. _Hey, thanks Ward, you insensitive asshole_.

Coulson pursed his lips but didn't answer the question. Slowly, he looked at each of their faces. Skye still seemed shocked, and Aurora couldn't seem to make her mouth move. Something unrecognizable passed through his eyes. "I need to inform May of the situation." Then he walked away, leaving the agents to their thoughts. 

Nobody spoke, until, eventually, Coulson returned with May, ushering them all down to the ramp. Leo was already there, sitting with his back against Jemma; the only thing separating them was the glass door to the lab. He was fiddling with something in his hands, and Aurora could see that his eyes had glazed over. She could only assume Jemma had a similar expression. 

"Simmons believes she contracted the virus approximately 36 hours ago when she received an electrostatic shock from the first victim," Coulson said, his voice low, as the agents formed a circle. 

"How much time does she have?" Skye asked, her arms crossed tightly around her chest, hands pulled into the sleeves of her sweater.

"Based on when the firemen were infected, how quickly their symptoms manifested... two hours at most." Aurora swallowed down gravel, and let out a breath from her nose as fear crept back in.

"That's enough time, right?" Skye said, looking at the established agents. "I mean, S.H.I.E.L.D. has dozens of labs and scientists working on this thing, don't they?"

"They do. How soon can you get us on the ground?"

"Three hours," May answered. "Our path to the sandbox has us right in the middle of the Atlantic."

"Sir, correct me if I'm wrong, but if we can't land in time..." Ward said, pushing harder for the answer to a question he'd already asked. Aurora ground her teeth again.

"Simmons will release a pulse that will blow this plane right out of the sky," Coulson said, letting out a defeated sigh.

"We can't just sit here and watch her die," Skye said. "We have to do _something._ "

"There's nothing we can do," Aurora said, forcing an even tone and pushing all of it down, pushing everything down.

Coulson nodded, looking at her. "There's only one person on this plane capable of finding a solution for this, and I'm willing to bet my life that she will." They all turned to look at the two scientists.

"She's just a kid," May whispered.

Aurora ran her tongue along her teeth, letting out a quiet breath. May was right, Jemma, Leo, Skye, they were kids. They were innocent and kind, inexperienced in the world of pain, torture, abuse. Then she shook her head, not bothering to bite down her disgust at herself (disgust was better than fear) and her hatred of the fact she sounded like Ward (hate was easier than fear). Simmons, Fitz, and Skye were all of those things. But that didn't mean they weren't strong. It didn't mean they weren't capable. It didn't mean that they should be underestimated. They had earned their place as S.H.E.I.L.D. agents.

Aurora stood by what she thought before. Jemma Simmons was one of the most intelligent people she had ever met; if anyone could find this cure, it would be her. Especially if the brilliant Leo Fitz was helping her.

The woman in question turned around to face them at May's statement, fear evident in her eyes.

"She's strong," Aurora asserted, and her tone left no room for discussion. She was stating a fact. In her peripheral, Aurora watched as they all turned to look at her, but her focus remained on Simmons. _I'm not saying it to make you feel better. I'm saying it because it's true._

Again, Coulson nodded, putting his attention back on the two scientists. He looked at both of them and said seriously. "Get to work." They both mumbled out affirmatives, maneuvering themselves into a standing position. 

⊗⊗⊗

Ward had pulled up the live feed of the lab, broadcasting it onto the screen in the debriefing room. Aurora had watched, before crossing her arms and leaning up against the table on the other side of him. Despite her confidence in Simmons and Fitz, her mouth was still dry, and her fingernails were digging into the flesh of her forearm. She knew there would be welts there tomorrow, and yet she couldn't pull her hand away. Neither of them spoke, neither of them moved. Eventually, Ward broke first.

"I hate this," he muttered, bitterness clear in his voice. His crossed arms tightened even more against his chest. Aurora hummed quietly, then she shifted her weight, watching as Fitz passed Simmons something through the door. He looked over his shoulder at her, and his chest heaved. They locked eyes, and he knew she understood. They had been trained to fight and to kill. Neither of which could help. They watched the screen for another few minutes, then Aurora shook her head, speaking honestly. 

"I can't watch anymore." She needed to leave, to distract herself. There was nothing she could do right now. There was no point in antagonizing herself, any more than she already had, about an inevitable she had no control over. He didn't respond, and she didn't need him too.

Walking away, she entered her bunk, closing the door behind her. Mechanically she lied down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling but not registering anything. She didn't bother to close her eyes. She wouldn't be able to sleep right now even if she wanted too. She almost pulled out _Frankenstein,_ but she knew there was no point in that either. Truly all she wanted to do was train, but there was no chance in Hell she was going to go downstairs and risk disturbing the scientists. One of her hands reached out, and she started absentmindedly running her thumb back and forth on the leaves of her Devil's Ivy.

Every thought she had brought her back to the scientists, and it scared her. Not just because their lives were at risk, but because of how much she cared about them. She already knew she felt something for Skye, Fitz, and Simmons, but the others? She cared about all of them. Even Agent May and Agent Coulson and their suits and blind loyalty, and Agent Ward and his arrogance and impulsiveness. _The team._

_Weak. Weak. Weak._

She was getting attached to them. In a few short months, they had wormed their way under her skin. She ran her tongue along her teeth. She was scared that this was only the beginning. She was scared that she was only skimming the surface of how much she actually cared about them. She was scared she would break them. That they would break her. 

_Pathetic._

She was scared that it was too late. She was scared that there was no going back. She was scared that she would never be able to distance herself from them. She was scared that she didn't want to. She was scared of what that meant for her. She was scared of what that meant for them. She was scared Mother was right. She was scared Mother would always be right. She was scared. Scared, scared, _scared_ , _scared._

Her hands curled into tight fists, and she dug her knuckles into the skin of her forehead. Her breathing was out of control. She had no control. She had no control. She could feel herself circling, falling further and further. 

Suddenly there was a rogue thought, a rogue realization. She caught hold of it and clung. _It's been a while since I fell this far, this fast._

She used it as an anchor, trying to fight her way back to the surface of her mind. Digging herself back to reality. She wished she could ride it out. She used to just ride it out. Wait for her mind to _Stop_. Wait for exhaustion to take over. 

But she couldn't. Not when a member of her team was fighting for their life. Fighting a battle she could do nothi--

_Stop._

She couldn't ride it out. Not when the members of her team were right outside her door in the debriefing area. She would not be caught like this. She would not be found in a moment of weakness.

_Weak. Weak. Weak. Weak._

They would not see her weak. 

Slowly she sat up. She closed her eyes and focused on leveling out her breathing. In, out. In, out. In, out. Opening her eyes again, she unclenched her fists, letting her fingers curl out one by one. In the center of her left palm rested a leaf, ripped off her Devil's Ivy and crushed by her hand. A wave of guilt rushed over her. Leaning forward, she placed the broken leaf on the dirt, patting it gently.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry." 

Resting her feet on the ground, she pulled herself out of bed. She took her hair out of her braid only to put it back. She focused herself on the act, every twist of her hair, every movement of her hand. She took back control. 

Taking a step forward, she slid her door open, just in time to see Leo Fitz, pale and sweaty, run by her carrying the crate with the bright orange 'hazardous' sticker.

_Oh for the love of---_

She heard Coulson yell out the scientist's name, and she looked up, sharing a panicked look with Skye. Then all three of them were darting after the man, running down the stairs to the ramp. As they reached the bottom, they heard the tell-tail sound of the lab door sliding open and, right in front of them, was Fitz in the lab. 

"Fitz," Simmons said, her voice muffled by the door, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but--"

"I'm doing what we always do," Fitz answered. "We're gonna fix this-- together."

Ward and May joined them, and together, the team watched them work. Skye stood planted in front of the door, while Coulson paced back and forth. May stood behind Skye, and Aurora and Ward leaned against the front of the S.U.V. None of them could keep their eyes away from the glass. Time was running out. Aurora felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she flinched instinctually away from the touch. She turned her head and saw Ward, forcing a neutral expression and nodding at him.

"Third time's a charm," Fitz said, and all of the agents migrated closer to the glass. "May I do the honors?" Simmons gave a feeble nod. Fitz took the few short steps to the rats in the corner of the lab, picking one up and giving it the cure.

"I can't breathe," Skye whispered, and Aurora found she was also holding her breath. 

"We did it," Simmons spoke. Then a blue light pulsed from the animal before the corpse rose into the air. Aurora closed her eyes. The fear in her body seeped out, and in its place came acceptance. There was nothing she could do.

"No," Fitz whimpered, and she heard Skye mimic the sound next to her.

Slowly Simmons walked up to the glass, standing directly in front of Coulson. "Sir, I know the protocol in these circumstances, but could you please tell my dad first?" Aurora felt her heart split in two, just as admiration and respect filled her. Simmons was accepting death gracefully. Behind her, Aurora watched as Fitz got back to work. "I just think my mum would take it better if it comes from him."

"We're not there yet. There's still time."

"Sir, please." Coulson nodded, short and firm. Then the woman turned to the rest of them, two tears slipping down her cheeks. "Would you mind if I had a brief moment alone with Fitz?" The combat agents gave her a look of understanding, while Skye cried quietly. Sluggishly and silently, the agents made their way back to the debriefing room.

"Agent Blake is on the line," May informed them. "He wants to know what's going on. If you won't answer, he asked for Ward."

"Sir, what are our orders?" Ward asked.

"They're unchanged."

Before Ward could respond, an alarm blared through the bus.

"What is that?" Skye asked, glancing around the room.

May tapped on the screen in the table, pulling up the plane's blueprints. "Someone's lowering the cargo-hold ramp." There was a second of silence, then Ward and Aurora were looking at each other. _Simmons_. 

Without consulting the others, the two bolted. Running through the lounge, they opened the door leading to the ramp just in time to see Fitz wrestling with a parachute. They both jumped down off the balcony, Fitz yelling at them that the antiserum had worked, as Ward took the parachute and the cure from him. It was only secured over one shoulder as the man followed behind Simmons, jumping out of the plane. Fitz was still muttering, panicky, under his breath as Aurora raced to close the ramp door. 

⊗⊗⊗

Simmons was alive. Ward had gotten to her just in time, and the team had been forced to fish them out of the ocean. However, no one had complained, too thankful that they were safe and that everyone had made it out alive.

Aurora and Skye had sat in the lounge area, waiting for the two water-logged agents to return from their scolding from Coulson. As soon as Simmons voiced carried over to them, Skye was moving, barreling into Simmons and engulfing her into a hug. The two girls swayed side to side slightly as, walking far more calmly, Aurora stood next to Ward. When Skye released her, Aurora made eye contact with her. For a moment, there were a lot of things she wished she could say to Simmons, but there was a pound of lead resting on her tongue, and she couldn't make her mouth move. So, gritting her teeth, she settled on two words and a firm nod.

"See, strong." A pink color flushed the scientist's face and caused Skye to wrap her arm around Simmons' shoulder, giving her another squeeze.

Hours passed, and the team, for the most part, had settled down after their stress-filled day. Skye had practically glued herself to Simmons' side, and Ward was never out of eyeshot of them. Coulson and May had retired to Coulson's office, and Aurora hadn't seen them since. Fitz had all but disappeared, and the next time Aurora saw him, he had been sitting in his bunk with a pillow clutched tightly to his chest. As she leaned against his doorway, she noticed that his eyes were still red and his face blotchy. There seemed to be shame in his expression, and although he knew she was there, he didn't raise his eyes to meet her.

She ran her tongue along her teeth. Truthfully, Aurora didn't hate Mother, not really. She resented her, feared her, pitied her, and usually those emotions were easier to forget. Easy to ignore. But, as she leaned against Fitz's door, she felt all of those emotions flood her system. Just like Simmons, there were a lot of things she wanted to tell Fitz. She knew he thought he was weak, and she wanted to tell him that he was wrong. Tell him that he was strong, just like Simmons. And that he was brave just like Simmons. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn't be beating himself up about what had happened. She wanted to tell them she was proud. She wanted to comfort them.

But she couldn't. Not in the way she wanted to. Not in the way they needed it.

Not when there was a familiar ball of pressure resting on her ribs, crushing her breath. Or when the lead block remade an appearance atop her tongue. A wave of guilt came over her. They deserved to be comforted. He deserved to be comforted.

_Weak. Weak. Weak._

(Okay, so maybe she did hate Mother.) 

She let out a breath through her nose, and forced herself to move, sitting next to him on the bed. At her weight, she felt his eyes drill into the side of her head, but she remained facing forwards. She took another breath and swallowed the sandpaper collecting on the back of her throat. 

"Anyone can learn to jump out of a plane." Her voice was low, firm, and she forced it to sound neutral. "Only you," _and Simmons_ , "could make the cure. Without it, jumping out of the bus would have been pointless."

Trying not to think about it, she reached over and wrapped one of her hands around his left wrist. Her touch was light. One second. She squeezed gently. Two seconds. Three seconds. Letting go, she put both hands in her lap and laced her fingers together. Her breath was still constricted, and she had a current of anxiety pulsing through her body. 

Forcing a long breath out of her nose, she stood quickly and made to escape, the punching bag on the ramp calling her name. But before she could take a second step, Fitz stopped her, wrapping his hand around her wrist. Just like hers had been, his grip was kind. She turned towards him but kept her gaze locked on a spot above his head, attempting to distract herself from the warmth of his skin and the uncomfortable feeling in her gut. 

"Thank you," he mumbled quietly, letting go of her wrist. There was a small smile on his lips, and her chest felt tighter. 

She nodded firmly, then turned and left his bunk. She knew it wasn't a lot, by conventional standards. What she had said, done; it was the bare minimum. But for her, it was a lot. It meant a lot. She hoped they understood that. She hoped _he_ understood that.

Word Count: 7,001


	7. Chapter Seven

Aurora walked deliberately, her footsteps silent against the floor. She faced forward, keeping her back against the deteriorating brick wall. She could feel the presence of agents May and Ward behind her as she took point. As she met the end of the wall, she raised her palm to halt them. Slowly, she peeked around the corner and into the connecting hallway. Two guards stood side by side, facing away from them. She gave it a second to see if they would change positions. They didn't. Turning to May, Aurora held up two fingers, and both agents nodded.

The three of them rounded the corner, their strides long. Coming up behind the soldier on the left, Aurora slammed down her elbow into the crease of his neck, quickly catching his arms and slowing his dead weight as he collapsed to the tunnel's floor. Simultaneously, May brought down his partner.

"Coulson?" Aurora mouthed, looking at Agent May.

"The next left," May responded, just as quietly.

Then the two of them were moving forward again, Ward walking behind them and facing backward to cover their flank. When they reached the end of the hallway, they waited for Coulson's cue; their backs pushed against the wall.

"Now," Aurora muttered, and May ran by her releasing a battle cry and kicking a soldier square in the throat. Aurora followed, grabbing another soldier, and punching him in the gut before kneeing him hard in the nose. She heard Ward and Coulson each taking down a soldier behind her, and she turned just in time to see their inside man, Shaw, hurl a knife into the chest of the last soldier. 

"Time to go, Agents," Ward said.

"Exit?" Coulson asked.

"Follow me."

Aurora and Ward waited for a beat, waiting for the others to pass by them. As the group rushed to the exit, they ran by the bodies of unconscious men, downed in their path to Coulson.

"I was wondering what you guys had been up to," Coulson joked.

She turned another corner in time to see May lower the ladder to the surface, a small amount of snow falling at her feet.

Coulson made a point of looking up through the exit, before motioning forward with his hand. "Go," he said, and one by one the agents climbed up the rickety latter to the snowy surface, a wave of cold enveloping them. Aurora took three quick strides and stepped on the back of the sled, behind May and Ward, and next to Shaw and Coulson, taking hold of the frozen handlebar.

"Um, where are the dogs?" Shaw asked, his eyes darting around the front of the sled.

"Don't be ridiculous," Coulson chuckled. Reaching into the front pocket of his jacket, he pressed a button. Abruptly, the sled jolted forward and began pulling them towards the bus. 

⊗⊗⊗

Aurora sat in one of the lounge chairs, a tablet in her hand. She was half-listening to Skye and Fitz discuss the "disgusting" nasal operation Simmons was doing to Shaw in the lab to retrieve the intelligence he'd collected. After twenty minutes, the door to the lab slid open, and Fitz jumped to his feet to meet Coulson and Simmons.

"Ah, good," he said. "Done with that paranasal extraction nonsense. Do you need me to analyze the data?"

"That won't be necessary," Coulson answered dismissively, walking past him.

"If it's encrypted, I can mine the chip for him," Skye said, also standing up.

"I'm afraid this mission's classified," Coulson said, spinning on his heels to face the rest of them. "Clearance Level Eight," he added as Ward and May joined them. Aurora rolled her eyes, _fucking classified,_ as the others turned to go back to their work.

"Wait; what?" Skye asked, annoyed. "He can just shut us out of the process like that?" 

"Yup," Aurora said simply. Her next tap on the tablet was unnecessarily aggressive. 

Fitz looked at both women hesitantly. "Well, he did say the mission is Level Eight."

"And we're not, so we can't know about it," Simmons added.

"Right," Skye said, "but this is normally the part where we all stand around the Holocom, and we learn about stuff. I mean, aren't we all on the same team?"

"No need to get started on one of your Socialist riffs," Fitz said. Aurora shot him a look as she gritted her teeth.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s whole infrastructure is based on the hierarchy and compartmentalization of intelligence," Simmons explained.

"Every agent can't have the intel on every mission," Ward said, as the two scientists made their way to the lab. "It makes the entire organization vulnerable."

"Okay, fine, but if I just fought my way out of an underground Siberian prison, I'd kind of want to know what for." _Me too, Skye, me too._

"Coulson's got you used to the plane, the way we do missions here. The Hub is different," May said.

"We're going to the Hub?" Aurora asked, raising her eyebrows. May nodded at Aurora, then shot Skye a smirk.

"The Hub?" Skye questioned as May walked off. "What's the Hub?"

Aurora abruptly snapped the protective cover for the tablet shut and ground her teeth harder. They were going to the epicenter of S.H.I.E.L.D. Great, fantastic, superb. In less than a few hours, she was going to be surrounded by men and women in black suits that did nothing more than kiss each other's feet and blindly worship the bureaucracy that was S.H.I.E.L.D. _Fucking great_. She could already feel a headache blooming.

As much as it pained Aurora to admit, the actual architecture of The Hub was awesome. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Everything that didn't absolutely need a human was automated.

"I didn't realize Big Brother was this big," Skye said as they walked down one of the main hallways, their footsteps hitting the shiny, crystal white, tiled floor. As they walked, Aurora constantly shifted her shoulders to avoid making contact with any of the many suits.

"Oh, this is nothing," Simmons said. "Wait until you see the Triskelion." Once again, Aurora found herself rolling her eyes.

"Everyone's wearing the same suit," Skye said. "Someone tell me why, please." Aurora turned and shot the girl an amused look over her shoulder. 

As they reached the front desk, everyone, except Skye, took hold of their official S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. Aurora adjusted her leather jacket and pinned her label to the front of her simple black t-shirt.

They had only walked a few more feet when Coulson called out, "Agent Sitwell." Aurora ran her tongue along her teeth at the sight of the agent.

"Agent Coulson," he responded, reaching out to shake Coulson's hand. "Good to see you feeling better. Agent Hand's waiting for you in the situation room."

"And she doesn't like to wait," Coulson said as the team followed behind the two agents.

"So, you know her."

"Only her reputation."

"Your Level Sevens can join us in the briefing," Sitwell said, reaching the glass door and leaning forward so the panel next to it could scan his face. The door slid open. Coulson, May, and Ward followed behind them. When Skye tried, her prison bracelet locked her to the panel, and a small alarm sounded.

"Ouch," Fitz muttered next to her, and Aurora winced, pursing her lips.

"Is this your subtle way of saying I can't come with?" Skye asked, jostling her arm as Coulson reappeared.

"We'll be back," he said, leaving Skye attached to the panel.

"Aurora, why aren't you going with them?" Simmons asked, tilting her head.

Aurora grabbed her label, lifting it away from her shirt for emphasis. "Level Five," she reminded them. A surprised and confused look came over both of the scientists' expressions for a brief moment before transforming into understanding.

"Right, of course," Simmons said, nodding once.

"Well, we should, we should probably head over to the tech corridor," Fitz said, turning to Simmons.

"Oh, I can't wait to see the new chem-kit." Then the two turned on their heels and walked off.

"I don't think it likes me here," Skye said under her breath. Smiling slightly, Aurora walked over to the girl and tapped twice on the keypad, allowing her to be set free.

"Cafeteria's open to anyone," Aurora said, nodding in its general direction. "C'mon." 

The Hub cafeteria looked like almost any other cafeteria. There were rows of plastic tables and chairs lining the linoleum floors. The food was subpar and served by people severely underpaid. The only major difference was every table, chair, wall, trashcan, and anything with a moderately flat surface dawned the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. _Just in case anyone forgot where they were._

Aurora sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs, placing her half-made salad, served on a S.H.I.E.L.D. approved tray, down in front of her. Skye took the seat across from her, her tray carrying a salad and a pile of mac-and-cheese (which Aurora had promised not to tell Ward about). The girl's eyes hadn't stopped darting around the room, taking everything in. Trying not to roll her eyes for the umpteenth time, Aurora took an aggressive bite of lettuce and tomato. They sat and ate their food quietly for a few minutes, until suddenly, Skye spoke. 

"Why were Fitz and Simmons surprised that you were Level Five?" Aurora choked on her food. Swallowing, she raised an eyebrow. "Today, when you reminded them you were Level Five, they were surprised."

Aurora cleared her throat. "Most agents, that do what I do, have higher levels. Like Romanoff."

"Then why are _you_ Level Five?" she asked, waving her fork around.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't trust me," Aurora said simply. Without thinking about it, she rested her fork down on her tray, and her eyes shifted to the two men in suits that had followed them in here. Both of whom were pointedly not looking at her.

"Why?" Then Skye rolled her eyes, still gesturing with the fork. "Other than the whole Brotherhood thing, I mean."

Placing both arms under the table, one of Aurora's hands migrated to her forearm, and she felt a wave of familiar pain radiate through her skin. Slowly, she sucked in a breath. "They want me to be willing to die for them," she answered honestly. "I'm not. And I won't pretend that I am." Shock filled Skye's face, and before she could stop herself, Aurora was talking again. "But they still need me to eliminate their targets, so, Level Five is the lowest they can give me that still lets me do my job."

"If they don't trust you," Skye asked quietly as if she had only just become aware they were having this conversation in the heart of S.H.I.E.L.D., "and you clearly don't like them, why'd you join?"

She swallowed a fistful of gravel and tried to ignore the growing compression in her chest, suffocating her lungs. "They 'saved' me when I was seventeen. I was on a mission from the Brotherhood in Pairs. I noticed the same two men in suits following me everywhere I went. Sometimes together, sometimes alone. After a few days, I managed to corner one of them. I already knew what S.H.I.E.L.D. was." _How persistent, how unrelenting they were._ "And when I saw his badge, I realized that I had two options, either join S.H.I.E.L.D. or spend the rest of my life running from them. I chose to join." _It was the wrong choice._

"Wow," Skye said, leaning back into her chair. "You were seventeen? So, you've been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for...?"

"About eight years."

"Wow," Skye repeated, and Aurora hummed. She could see Skye open her mouth to ask something else, but her attention shifted as she pulled out her phone. "Saved by the bell, Coulson wants us back in the main area." The two shoved a few more bites of food into their mouths, before cleaning their trays and heading over. May, Coulson, Simmons, and Ward were already waiting for them when they arrived. 

Aurora followed their gaze and saw that Fitz had gotten a cart stuck between one of the sliding glass doors. He took hold of one side, attempting to peel it open.

"What the hell? Who designed this?" he exclaimed, waving his arms. "In the Hub of all places." After another moment, he pushed the cart through, and the doors closed on him. Aurora watched as his mouth formed the word 'fantastic,' and she could almost hear his accent. 

⊗⊗⊗

When they returned to the Bus, Coulson pulled Fitz and Aurora into his office, and dread welled up inside her. The two stood in front of his impressive desk, and Fitz shot her a tentative look.

"There is a device, a weapon," Coulson started, "the name of which roughly translates to 'the overkill device' located in a stronghold in South Ossetia. The intel we collected from Shaw shows that they plan to use the weapon in the next 24 hours to declare independence from Georgia and Russia."

"What does the device do?" Fitz asked, tilting his head slightly.

"It can create vibrations that have the ability to trigger weapons from a great distance." Aurora saw Fitz open his mouth again, presumably to ask more questions about the weapon, but before he could, she spoke.

"Why are you telling us this?"

"Agent Hand needs a two-man team to sneak across the border into the stronghold and deactivate it," he said, his eyes locked on Fitz. "There will be an extraction team, and Ward has connections to get across the border." Fitz's face drained of color as understanding set in.

"Yes, sir," Fitz said. Then, without missing a beat, he answered Coulson's unspoken question. "I can handle it, sir."

"Good." Then Coulson's eyes slid over to Aurora. _If Ward and Fitz were the two-man team, why was she here?_ Slowly, he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a vanilla folder. The dread solidified in her gut. She knew what that folder meant. She had seen it too many times not too. He slid it across the desk, and, with steady hands, she picked it up and flicked it open. As per usual, there was only a small, grainy polaroid of a man and one sheet of paper, most of which was redacted. Out of the whole page, there were only five lines that Aurora had been permitted to read. 

**Name** : Mikheil Tsiklauri

 **Sex** : Male

 **Age** : 45

 **Physical Appearance** : Brown hair, Brown eyes, Weight; 170lbs, Hight; 72"

 **Mission** : Eliminate Target

Aurora gritted her teeth. "Am I allowed to know _why_ this target needs to be eliminated?" She asked boldly. Her question caught both men off guard, and it seemed like Fitz had to stop himself from leaning over her shoulder to look at the folder in her hands. _Why am I killing this human being?_ It had been years since she had bothered to ask that question. But if there was anybody at S.H.I.E.L.D. who would be willing to bend the rules, willing to show her some type of mercy, to give her back a modicum of control, it would be Coulson. The man swallowed. It looked like she wasn't going to get it.

"Classified," Coulson said firmly. _Of fucking course it was._ "Our sources say, he'll be somewhere in the same stronghold as the device. You will sneak across the border and into the stronghold with Agents Fitz and Ward, but after that, you're on your own to eliminate the target and return for extraction." He raised an eyebrow. "Is that understood, Agent Auditore?"

"Yes, _sir._ " 

Then she pivoted, dismissing herself. 

⊗⊗⊗

Packing for a solo mission was an artform that Aurora had mastered years ago. Especially a mission that would last less than twenty-four hours. Truly she only needed four things; a small waterproof watch, a compact knife (tucked into her left combat boot), the bobby pins holding back the hair in her braid, and her Smith & Wesson M&P handgun with an extra magazine and its attachable silencer. For this mission, for Fitz's first combat mission, however, she also decided on a few other necessities. Picking a lightweight, waterproof, black backpack, she threw in a clear plastic baggie of pretzels, a baggie of trail mix, and three water bottles. 

As she left the kitchen, her backpack hung over her shoulder; she stopped at her bunk, to pick up the vanilla folder. She flipped it open for the last time, and analyzed the target's face, committing it to memory. His short brown hair, wide brown eyes, the small crook in the center of his nose, and the scar in the center of his left cheek, all of it. Huffing a small breath, she tossed the folder back on to her bed. 

Exiting, she came across the three non-combat agents huddled around Fitz's bunk, both women looking at Fitz like he was headed to a death sentence. She rolled her eyes. As she came up behind them, she spoke firmly.

"Agent Fitz will be fine." She made sure to put the emphasis on the word _'Agent'_ to remind them that he was, in fact, capable of doing his job. Besides, she and Ward could fight for him if they needed to. Then she turned her head to look at Fitz. "We need to go. Time is not on our side."

"Right. Of course," he said, nodding once. Then he placed the straps of his backpack over his shoulders and charged forward. After he passed them, Aurora made eye contact with both women. 

"He'll be fine," she repeated sternly. "Hold down the fort while we're gone." She waited until both women nodded, tapped the doorway once with her hand, then headed off after the scientist. 

"More moving, less talking, Agent Ward," Fitz said, as they entered the debriefing room. He glanced at Aurora over his shoulder, "Time is not on our side." All the agents looked at each other for a brief moment, and then Fitz and Aurora were moving, Ward following behind.

Ward had opted to drive their inconspicuous Jeep through the Caucasus mountains, while Fitz took shotgun and Aurora made herself comfortable in the truck's bed. Less than a half-hour into the journey, Fitz had gotten sick of the silence and had started telling stories about his time at university, most of which starred Simmons. Aurora only half listened, her eyes peeled, watching their surroundings, and smiling slightly whenever he said something particularly amusing. With her attention divided, she missed the looks Fitz was repeatedly sending her over his shoulder.

"So, Simmons, by this point, does not have a bloody clue," he spoke as Ward pulled into their intended location, "we're in the back, trying to contain our laughter. Simmons goes into the vacuum chamber wearing a-- a bunny suit. We just call it that because it, it covers your whole body. So she's in the vacuum chamber," parking, Aurora jumped out of the side of the truck as the two open their doors, "but when she takes her mask off to speak to me, she sneezes all over the faraday cup..." Aurora stifled another small smile as Ward shot her a look of pure annoyance. Slowly he took off his sunglasses and turned his look to the scientist. "Which is funny."

"Do you have the beacon?" Ward asked, striding towards the entrance. 

"Yeah," Fitz answered, stopping in the middle of the parking lot. "But it's funny because vacuum chambers are so dry, and this instrument was actually supposed to go into space." Taking the beacon from Fitz, Aurora saw Ward subtly roll his eyes and place it with a group of rocks by the side of the building, still doing his best to ignore Fitz. "Simmons actually tells it a lot better than I do," he finished dejectedly.

"Listen," Ward said. "My contact's Uri Dubrovsky. We'll pay him to get us across the border." The man turned suddenly, looking seriously at Aurora and Fitz. "We go back, but he doesn't like new people, so keep your mouth shut and your head down."

As they walked inside, Aurora noted that it looked like every other Russian bar she had ever been in. Despite the two lights hanging from the ceiling, the room was dark, and the wooden floor was dirty with sand, gravel, and the sticky remnant of alcohol; the room smelt like alcohol too. There was also a small, barely functioning, Tv mounted to the wall by the corner of the bar. Every person had their eyes glued to its screen, enraptured with the football, _soccer_ she corrected herself, game playing. There was only one notable entrance or exit, and it was the door they just walked through. 

_"Evening,"_ Ward said in Russian, as he reached the bar. _"Two vodkas, straight. One for me. And one for my friend, Uri."_ The barman wandered away, and the man next to Ward took his shot and stood up. Aurora gritted her teeth.

"Um, can you ask what beers they have on tap?" _Oh, Fitz._

"Uri is your friend?" the man asked.

"Yeah," Ward said, his accent slightly Russian.

"Uri's dead." _Not good. Not good._ She moved, positioning Fitz so he was sandwiched between her and Ward. Turning her back to them, she faced the rest of the bar. But it didn't matter. She heard the sound of a gun cocking from behind her just as another man approached, also cocking his gun. _Not good._ "You have no friends here."

⊗⊗⊗

They had been tied to chairs in the backroom. Aurora ran her tongue along her teeth and wiggled her writs, trying to loosen the bonds of rope. She could feel it chafing against her skin as cheering filtered into the room.

"What's happening?" Fitz whispered, leaning closer to Ward and Aurora. "Why haven't they killed us yet? I mean, I'm glad they haven't killed us yet."

"They're waiting for their boss," Ward answered, "so before he--"

"Or she," Aurora interrupted. Ward rolled his eyes.

"Or she gets here, we need a plan."

"The ropes aren't giving," Aurora muttered, and for the first time, she was irritated by Fitz's presence. Not Fitz _specifically_ , but his lack of basic combat skills. The chairs they were sitting on were wood, _old_ wood; she could easily smash them and use one of the legs as a stake. The sound of it breaking would draw attention to themselves, but she and Ward could fight their way out, disarming those with guns. But Fitz couldn't do that, and they couldn't split their attention between protecting him and their attackers. Aurora let out a small breath. They needed a plan that _involved_ Fitz. They needed to think their way out.

"How long can you hold your breath underwater?" Ward asked, looking past Aurora to Fitz.

"I don't know."

"You familiar with the term 'slam and cram'?"

"No, and I don-- I don't think I want to be."

"You don't," Aurora said, slightly disgusted that Ward would even suggest it. "And _I'm_ not doing that."

"How attached are you to your pinky?" Ward asked.

 _"Ward,"_ she hissed.

"Very, very attached, and before you ask another terrifyingly vague question, any plan that involves even one of those scenarios isn't going to work for me." Aurora watched as a shadow disturbed the light flooding into the room, and she kicked both men in the shins, hushing them. Moments later, an intense-looking woman with two henchmen walked into the room.

"I heard you were looking for your friend Uri," she said, looking at Ward, "and Uri was friends with separatists. Are you separatists?"

"No. We're here to stop them."

"Definitely here to stop them," Fitz added. The woman's eyes slid to Aurora, and she raised her head higher. 

"Trust me," Ward said, and Aurora gritted her teeth. "If you could just help us get across the border--" Another roar from the crowd in the bar interrupted him.

 _"Ah, I'm missing the game!"_ the woman spat. "You're wasting my time, so let me be clear. You've given me no reason to trust you. And trust is everything to me." Aurora watched as her henchmen pulled a gun out from his front pocket, and she leaned forward subtly in an attempt to place her torso in front of Fitz. But as he cocked the gun, the lights went out, and they heard the boos from the angry crowd. There was a beat, as the woman and the henchmen looked around the dark room, then she started cursing, rather impressively, in Russian. 

Aurora relaxed slightly in her chair. The familiar cover of darkness gave her safety. She had trained in the dark. And, in this case, the darkness threw her potential opponents off-balance, distracted by their sudden loss of entertainment. It gave her an advantage in a fight. She heard Fitz's chair groan as he shifted his weight, and she bit back a curse. _Right_ , fighting wasn't an option. She needed to think. And the woman needed to trust them. No, the woman needed to like them. 

An idea struck her, and she shifted her body closer to Fitz, turning her head to look at him. Fitz was cute. It was the first thing she had thought when she saw him. Not only that, but he was kind. He was personable. He was incredibly, undeniably, inevitably _likable_. Not like her or Ward, who were all hard lines and sharp edges. 

"What?" Fitz asked, meeting her gaze. 

"She needs to like us," Aurora whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "Get her to like us."

"How, exactly, am I supposed to do that?" he muttered back.

"By being _you_." She raised an eyebrow.

"Auditore--" Ward started, but she cut him off, keeping her eyes on Fitz.

"He can do it." Fitz gave a jerky nod and let out a low cough, getting the woman's attention mid curse. Then he started talking. 

It took less than ten minutes for Fitz to get the name of the henchman, Vladimir, and the woman, Marta. It took less than a half-hour for him to convince them that he could help restore the power, and, after exactly thirty-five minutes, Vladimir was gently guiding Fitz behind the bar where the circuit breaker was as two other henchmen lead out Aurora and Ward, a controlling hand on each of their shoulders. 

"Okay! Enough," Fitz said, as Vladimir guided him by his feet under the bar. "A little to the left, Vladimir. Gentle. Gentle. That's it. Okay." Ward shot Aurora an uncertain look, and then glanced at the man behind him. "Can I get a little more light down here, Marta?"

"Of course, _Mishka,"_ she said, snapping her fingers. _Mishka_ , Aurora smiled slightly. It fit him.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"Little Bear?" Ward questioned.

"I like watching him work," Marta said, "that little bear."

Suddenly, there was a thudding sound, and the lights flashed on, along with the small Tv in the corner. Cheering sounded throughout the room, as the two henchmen helped a beaming Fitz back to his feet.

"It's nothing," he said. "I'm just a man." A small, genuine smile formed on Aurora's lips when he looked at her. 

"Get this man a drink," Marta said, gesturing at Fitz.

"Oh, no. Here we go." Not hesitating, he clinked the shot glass with one of the other patrons and took it back without grimacing. "Salty." Aurora glanced at the empty shot glasses. _I miss Russian vodka_.

Sharing a glance with Ward, Fitz turned to face Marta, leaning one of his arms on the bar. "So, let's talk business." 

⊗⊗⊗

"Two million rubles?" Ward asked again, as the truck they sat in rolled passed the security check at the border. Aurora had her bag tucked between her legs while Fitz clutched his against his chest. "We need to work on your negotiation skills."

"I thought they were like pesos. And anyway, you should be thanking me," Fitz said, leaning over to pull something out of his pocket. "I shorted the circuit breaker with my localized E.M.P. when we were tied up." _Clever_.

"Really?"

"Yes, and my plan worked because we're over the border now, aren't we?" No sooner had he said that did the truck slow to a stop. "We're stopping. Why are we stopping?"

The driver shouted something Aurora couldn't understand, and she moved into a crouched position.

"Quiet," Ward said, putting a finger to his lips and also moving into a crouched position. "Stay here, Fitz. Auditore and I will check it out." Before they could move, however, the sound of bullets ricocheting off the truck forced him back. "Okay, maybe we'll all stay here." 

They waited for only a moment, then Aurora shifted on her feet, and took a step closer to the edge, peeking between the strips of fabric that protected them. "At least two men," she whispered. "They have assault rifles."

"Okay, we need a plan," Ward said. Then he stood up and pulled one of the barrels out from behind them. Then another. "When I say so, kick one of them as hard as you can," he said to Fitz. Then he turned to Aurora, "You have your gun?"

Aurora bit back a snide remark, pulling out her Smith & Wesson M&P. She clicked off the safety, pointedly showing it to him and slinging her backpack over her shoulders.

"Good, no kill shots." Aurora looked between the fabric curtains again, and saw the soldiers getting closer. When they got within feet of the truck, she nodded to Ward. "Now," he said, and the two men shoved the barrels out. Aurora heard the thud as they made contact with the ground, immediately shoving her head out and shooting them. Water exploded out with the sudden release of pressure, and the soldiers dropped. 

Ward joined her, just as another man came around the corner of the truck. Ripping the gun from him, Ward hit the soldier with the butt of it, knocking him to the ground. Jumping out of the truck, he hit the man again for good measure. Aurora jumped down after him as another truck skidded around the hill in front of them. Then she heard the sound of Fitz's feet hitting the ground behind her and felt a tug at her arm. Looking behind her, she saw Fitz already running towards the edge of the road. Clicking the safety on and tucking her gun into the belt of her waist, with her backpack bouncing against her back, she took off after him.

"Fitz!" Ward called out. "More border patrol!"

"We're already moving. Hurry UP!"

⊗⊗⊗

Dusk was falling on the hills as they fled from the patrol. It was colder too, and Aurora was glad that she had changed into her long sleeve black shirt before leaving for the mission. She could hear Fitz panting slightly behind her, and she jogged forward to catch up with Ward. 

"We can't keep moving. We need a place to lie low," she spoke, her eyes subtly darting to the scientist. Ward followed her line of sight and nodded. Up ahead, she saw a metal structure poking up from the tall grass.

"Drainage pipe," Ward called out. "We'll wait them out over there."

"We can't wait too long," Fitz huffed. "If they use the overkill device, everyone on the border's in danger."

"I'm aware."

"And that includes Marta and Vlad."

"Oh, you're on a first-name basis now?" Ward said, stopping at the edge of the pipe. Aurora paused next to him, watching as Fitz slipped on the snow. 

"Yeah, well, I'm just saying, their lives are on the line too. So, let's not get too comfortable." Then Fitz crawled into the pipe, Aurora and Ward following him.

None of them spoke for a while, and together, they watched dusk turn to darkness. Ward and Aurora had shifted into more relaxed positions, allowing themselves to lean against the walls of the pipe.

"Why do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. sent in just the three of us?" Fitz asked finally, breaking the silence. 

"Technically, I'm on a separate mission," Aurora spoke quietly. Fitz shot her a look.

"I don't know," Ward said. "They said they needed a guy like you and a guy like me." 

Turning, Fitz reached in front of him and unzipped his backpack, pulling out something in a clear plastic bag. Opening it, he took a whiff and let out a noise of contentment.

"Is that a sandwich?" Ward asked. _Uh oh, and they had been getting along so well._

"Simmons made it," Fitz said. "My favorite. Prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella with a hint of pesto aioli." Aurora felt her mouth water at the description. She must have made a face too, because, after he slowly unwrapped it, Fitz looked to her. "Here. You can have half."

She almost moved to take it, but before she could, Ward was leaning over her legs and ripping it out of Fitz's hand, throwing it as hard as he could out of the pipe. 

"What the _hell_? _"_ Fitz whispered, looking wantonly in the direction Ward had thrown his sandwich.

"There are dogs tracking us, and you bring a prosciutto sandwich," Ward responded. Aurora gritted her teeth and pushed her back harder against the wall of the pipe. Suddenly she wished she had let Fitz take the middle spot.

"I can't believe you just did that."

"This is a mission, not a picnic," Ward hissed.

"Oh, I'm well aware it's not a picnic, Mr. Save the Day," Fitz hissed back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on. You obviously get off on it, being the guy who always gets to throw the last punch, who always swoops in to save the girl. And now you've destroyed the world's most dangerous sandwich, congratulations." There was a pause in Fitz's speech, and in that pause, Aurora heard the sound of dogs barking. Her eyes shot to Ward, who was looking up at the roof of the pipe. "Well, I'll tell you something. I don't need to be rescued by anyone, Grant Ward--"

Without hesitation, she leaned over and covered his mouth with her hand. He let out a small noise of shock, and his eyes widened, locking on to hers, but he didn't try to remove her hand. Next to them, Ward raised a finger to his lips. The sound of the dogs got louder, and Fitz's shocked expression morphed into one of fear. Confident he would stop whisper-yelling, she removed her hand from his mouth, subtly wiping it on her pants.

"Before we left," Ward started quietly, looking at Fitz, "Coulson told me to take care of you. That is what I am doing. Nothing more, nothing less." 

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, as Fitz pointedly looked away from both Ward and Aurora. Letting out a breath, she leaned forward and unzipped the backpack that rested between her feet. Reaching inside, she pulled out her bag of pretzels and tossed it into Fitz's lap. The man startled, then looked between her and the bag. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he still didn't move. She swallowed.

"I also brought trail mix," she offered quietly. Fitz looked at her for another moment. "It's better than nothing."

"Uh, pretzels, pretzels are fine," he said. Hesitantly, he moved, and the sound of him munching on them filled the pipe. After a moment, he offered the bag back to her, and she shook her head. 

She didn't really like pretzels.

The three of them sat like that until light started peeking out over the horizon, then they trekked back up the hill to the main road. When they arrived, Fitz dug into his backpack and pulled out a Mag Pouch, laying it onto the ground. Immediately the fabric changed to mimic the dirt road. Unzipping it, they moved to lay side by side inside the pouch. It was a tight squeeze, and Aurora felt the muscles in her body tense, and her stomach twist into a knot at the feeling of Fitz pressed against her side. Looking up at the sky, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist, squeeze it only slightly, before letting go. 

She let out a breath and forced herself to unclench her jaw.

It was only Fitz

She was fine.

She was fine.

"Good day to be a rat," Fitz said suddenly. "I mean there you are, minding your own business, spreading filth and disease, scavenging for grub worms or rotten fruit, when lo and behold you see it--" Aurora felt a smile curl at her lips at Fitz's dramatics, subconsciously her body relaxed. "A prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwich."

"Fitz," Ward drawled.

"With just a hint of pesto aioli."

"Quiet." A pause. "Feel that?"

She did. The earth beneath them rumbled.

"A truck," Ward continued. "It's coming. Auditore, zip-up--"

"Got it," she said, reaching down and pulling up the zipper, so they were completely covered. There was a second; then their bodies jolted as the pouch connected to the underside of the truck. 

The dirt beneath them slowly transformed into asphalt as the truck got closer and closer to the compound. Eventually, the truck rolled to a stop, and Aurora took hold of her backpack in one hand and unzipped the pouch with the other. Quickly, the three rolled out from under the truck then took cover behind one of the large metal pillars that held up the upper levels of the building. After making sure the area was clear of soldiers, they moved again, hiding behind a set of stairs near the wall of the building. 

Fitz also pulled a device out of his backpack. "Simmons calls it 'The Magic Window.' You'd probably guess, 'is that x-ray technology?'" he said, but Aurora had stopped listening. Instead, she watched Ward turn on the flashlight and wave his hand in front of it three times quickly. She waited, but there was no response. Ward made the motion again. Nothing. The two combat agents turned to look at each other, worry etched onto their faces.

Aurora's worry quickly changed into anger as she realized what it meant. There was no extraction. _Fucking S.H.I.E.L.D._ They had lied. Of course they had lied. Left them high-and-dry with no time to figure out their own rough version of an extraction plan. Aurora was used to this, and maybe Ward was too. But Fitz wasn't. And usually, S.H.I.E.L.D. had the bare minimum decency to let her know that she'd have to get herself out too. 

If Skye ever asked _why_ she wouldn't die for S.H.I.E.L.D. Aurora would point her to this moment, and the organization's blatant disregard for her life. For Ward's life. For Fitz's life. 

She ran her tongue along her teeth and tried to force a neutral expression for Fitz's sake. Aurora saw Ward eye another side door a meter or two away. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she nodded towards Fitz, who was still setting up his tech. Ward gave her a look of understanding and darted off towards the door. Turning, she saw Fitz press a button on the tech, giving them an x-ray view into the room. 

"Okay," Fitz said, "we have two guards on the west wall. Both carrying automatic weapons. Correction." Aurora watched as Ward's figure joined the other guards. "Make that three guards. We have three guards now. Oh, my god. Oh my god, guys. He's attacking the others." She raised an eyebrow at him, curious at how long it would take the genius to figure it out. "He's coming straight for us." Fitz reached out a hand behind him feeling the air where Ward had stood. He turned suddenly, looking to Aurora. "Where's Ward?!"

"Hurry," the man in question said, throwing open the door in front of them. "Inside." 

Fitz looked back to Aurora. "Ah. That makes sense now."

Shaking her head, she lightly nudged Fitz towards the open door, following Ward inside. She paused at the entrance, watching her teammates disappear down the hallway. She turned her gaze to the two men lying unconscious on the floor. Both men were bigger than her, but one of them matched her height almost perfectly. Kneeling down, she peeled off his uniform. Shaking off her backpack, she tugged the man's cargo pants over her own, as well as the matching jacket and protective vest. Then she pulled off the man's black beanie, putting it on so it covered her forehead, and tucking up her braid. Picking up the automatic rifle in one hand and her backpack in the other, she jogged after Ward and Fitz.

When she found them, they were huddled around a cluster of pipes. In the center, she saw a small glowing orange light. _They found the device_. She let the backpack fall from her grip, the noise of it hitting the floor startling them both. Fitz let out a small shriek, and Ward leveled a gun at her head. A second later, his body relaxed, then his face pinched up.

"Jesus, Auditore-- you look like a guard," he said, holstering his gun.

"That's the point," she replied. Kneeling down, she pulled out the silencer and screwed it on her gun, tucking it back into the spot at her waist. Then she picked up the automatic rifle and looked at Fitz. "How long will it take you to deactivate it?"

"Ten minutes? Max." Aurora nodded, then ran her tongue along her teeth. She glanced down at her watch. Ten minutes. She'd have to make it fast. 

"Okay. If I'm not back by then..." she trailed off.

"We'll wait for you," Fitz answered immediately.

"No," she said, leaving no room for discussion. "You leave." She ignored the scandalized look on Fitz's face and turned to Ward. He gave her a single nod. Aurora returned it, then pivoted on her heels, leaving them to it. 

She had a target to eliminate. 

⊗⊗⊗

The lower level of the stronghold was almost three stories high. It looked like an abandoned factory with dusty mechanical equipment and rusty exposed pipes. The upper level was a lot less dirty, but just as rusty. The metal floor creaked with every confident step she took, as she blended in with the rest of the guardsmen. According to the lower-level soldier she had accosted on the stairwell (before ordering him in the opposite direction of Ward and Fitz), Mikheil Tsiklauri was sitting in his 'office' on the eastern side of the building. 

Making her way there, she kept her stride wide and her head high until she turned the corner where the man said Tsiklauri would be. She noted that, for the most part, the area was deserted. Unlike the rest of the hallways she had walked, which had been littered with guards gathered in groups of two and three, this one only had one man. He was standing stock-still, with his back facing a door. Gritting her teeth, she walked past him, peeking into the window beside him. One man. Tsiklauri. 

She turned the corner at the end of the hallway and paused, out of sight, leaning her back against the wall. She let out a controlled breath. Moving quickly, she rounded the corner again, passed by the window, then pivoted, hitting the guard with the butt of her rifle. Using his confusion, and likely concussion, she controlled his descent to the ground. Then she hit him again, rendering him unconscious before he could open his mouth and alert anyone. 

Taking the guard's spot at the door, she leaned over and looked into the window again. Tsiklauri was sitting at his desk, facing forward, and leaning back against his chair. Calmly, she took her Smith & Wesson M&P handgun out. Then she forced the door open with her shoulder, her gun already positioned at where she knew his head would be.

One shot.

One bullet.

It landed in the center of his forehead. 

The man slumped into the chair, and blood spattered against the wall. There was no ceremony. No drama. No hesitation. Nothing. With the squeeze of a trigger, one moment, Aurora ended a man's life. She didn't have to swallow back disgust at herself because there was none. She had robbed someone of their brother or father or cousin or friend or _something,_ and she felt nothing. 

It was something nobody had ever told her. The feeling of nothingness that came after, the numbness. When death, when killing, no longer held any impact. That's why S.H.I.E.L.D. needed her. There weren't many people that could handle the weight of the nothingness. Could handle the realization of what they'd become.

Pulling the door back open, she dragged the unconscious man's body into the office then shut it softly. As it clicked shut behind her, she put the gun back into the spot at her waist. 

Abruptly, the sound of an alarm blared throughout the building. Her time was up. 

Walking quickly, she retraced her steps, tightly gripping onto the railing as the building shook beneath her. _Fucking S.H.I.E.L.D._ Turning the next corner, she took cover with a group of three soldiers, blending in with them as they ran in the direction of where Ward and Fitz were. 

As soon as she caught sight of Ward, who was fighting even more soldiers, and Fitz, who had climbed up to a landing behind him, she lifted up the butt of her rifle, and, as she had with the guard, slammed it into the bottom of his neck. The action took the others off guard, and with a solid kick to the chest and a punch to the throat, she sent them sailing down the stairs. Dropping the rifle, Aurora jumped down the last few steps, joining her teammates just as Fitz kicked the last soldier in the face. 

"I just did that," Fitz muttered, surprised. Then, without looking up from the body, he tapped Ward twice on the chest with the back of his hand. "Okay, let's go." He lent down and passed Aurora her backpack so she could shrug it on. 

She took up the rear as the three sprinted out of the stronghold. Ward slammed into the metal door, and it made a banging sound as it bounced against the wall. Again, the ground shook beneath them, and again she cursed S.H.I.E.L.D. in her head. They had only made it a few steps into the sunlight before they were stopped. In front of them was an advancing army, each and every soldier pointing a gun in their direction. 

"You said they needed a guy like me and a guy like you, right?" Fitz asked Ward.

"Right," Ward answered, and the two men shared a defeated look. 

Next to them, Aurora took a step forward, so she stood in front of her friends. Slowly, she positioned her feet shoulder length apart, and one hand drifted behind her back to curl around the handle of her gun. _I will not die for S.H.I.E.L.D._

But there was no need, as a whirring sound came from above, and a shadow was cast over them.

"It's the extraction team!" Fitz shouted, as the three of them looked to the sky and a jet flew into view. Aurora shook her head as Ward spoke. 

"Better. It's The Cavalry." _It's their team_. "Never get tired of seeing that." They watched as the bus turned itself around, aiming the engines at the army. Within a second, the engines released a fury of water and wind, knocking the army to the ground. 

⊗⊗⊗

Aurora, Fitz, and Ward stood at the top of the ramp, waiting for their team to join them. It didn't take long before they heard the sound of footsteps, and Coulson appeared in the doorway. 

"Thanks for coming to get us, sir," Ward spoke, shaking Coulson's hand as he reached them. 

"We take care of our own," Coulson said simply, and Aurora's lips pulled up into a slight smile as Simmons appeared behind his shoulder at the entrance of the lab. 

Coulson let go of Ward's hand and turned to Aurora extending his hand. She eyed it for a second and sucked in a breath. Glancing back to Coulson's face, she met his eyes. She let the breath out through her nose and accepted his handshake. The man gave each of them a smile, and Aurora a firm nod, then walked by Simmons into the lab. 

Fitz almost immediately shed his jacket and backpack, letting them both fall to the floor, before taking the few steps to Simmons. Aurora and Ward gave each other amused looks, the man letting out a light chuckle, and she picked up both items, passing by the scientists into the lab. Pulling out the chairs at Fitz's workstation, she placed both items down. As Skye passed through, Aurora assumed on her way to see Ward, she gave Aurora an understanding nod, which she returned. She watched as a similar nod was exchanged between Ward and Fitz, and she wondered what exactly they had talked about while she was gone. 

"I had Ward and Aurora's back the whole time," Fitz said, leaning against the worktable in the center of the room, across from Simmons. "Pretty much saved him from a gang of Russian mobsters." At his statement, Simmons turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised.

"It's true."

"And I kicked a few guys' heads in."

"Also true."

Fitz let out a deep, exaggerated sigh, and another small smile tugged at Aurora's lips at his dramatics. "But enough mission talk already," he said. "Anything exciting happen at the hub?"

"I shot a superior officer in the chest," Simmons said joyfully, and Fitz's smile dropped from his face completely. Aurora, on the other hand, took a step closer to the woman.

"Which one?" she asked, her voice curious.

"Agent Sitwell."

In her head, Aurora imagined the expression on Sitwell's face as Simmons, small, seemingly docile, goodie-two-shoes Simmons, pulled a gun on him. Aurora smiled. It was a large, genuine, mouth wide open kind of smile. And, for the first time in a long time, she had to concentrate on stifling a loud laugh. A hand came up to cover her mouth, but she couldn't hide her wide eyes, radiating earnest mirth. Taking a moment, she pursed her lips together to contain her amusement, but when she spoke, it was clear in her tone.

"Awesome."

Word Count: 8,414

**Author's Note:**

> *Credit and ownership belongs to the appropriate gif makers, those apart of the Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. creative and production teams (this includes dialogue and elements of plot), and Ubisoft respectively. Everything else is mine*


End file.
